Taylor Fritz is now guaranteed to finish 2024 as the world number four and that represents progress for the American player.
In a repeat of the US Open final, Jannik Sinner ousted Fritz at the ATP Finals on Sunday with the Italian unplayable at times.
Jim Courier hailed Sinner for his brilliant performance and ultimately, Fritz was forced to hold his hands up and admit defeat to the better player.
Fritz has come a long way in 2024 though and he must genuinely believe that he can now go all the way and win a big title at some point.
Taylor Fritz picks two things he needs to improve after Jannik Sinner defeat
The two sets played last night were close run things, with Sinner coming through 6-4, 6-4 against Fritz.
The USA star has little time to dwell on things, with the Davis Cup getting underway this week in Spain.
Fritz will hope to finish the year with a win for the USA and on current form, it will be exciting to see him in action again.
Following his latest defeat to Sinner, Fritz was asked what – if anything – he feels he needs to improve upon for next season.
He said in his press conference: “Yeah, I mean, I think there’s stuff open on the physical side. I definitely need to get more just explosive, quicker first step. If I can just get a little quicker off the split step, it will help my return of serve a lot. If I can just put myself in slightly better chances to break serve, I think that’s going to be a huge improvement. That’s something I’ve done already, but I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement there.
“Something that got exposed today is when the balls got pretty worn out, I was struggling to generate any power with my backhand. It allowed him to take control of a lot of points. When the balls were newer, that wasn’t really an issue. I was able to stay in the points.
“Once they get big, it started getting a bit slower, I wasn’t generating enough power on my backhand to keep points neutral. I would lose control of the points. I think that’s something definitely I can work on. Tons of stuff.
“That’s really kind of the first things that come to my mind.”
Fritz can lead USA to glory at the Davis Cup
The next tournament is always the most important and Fritz will look to enjoy success at the tournament in Spain.
Playing for your country is always a proud moment for any tennis player and the Davis Cup looks to be brimming with talent.
Fritz is riding the crest of a wave at the moment and he will be looking to help his compatriots win the competition when it starts on Tuesday.
At 27, Fritz is playing some great stuff and with years left ahead of him, he will take confidence from the second half of 2024.
A quarter-final run at Wimbledon was followed by a final berth at the US Open and there must be confidence that he can now land that big title at some point during his career.
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