Taylor Fritz says he has been doing something during the clay court season that previous American generations didn’t always implement in their schedules.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a solid clay court season and is feeling confident heading into Roland Garros.
The red European clay has not always been a favourite surface for the Americans. Some of their greatest players such as Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors struggled and were unable to win the French Open.
But during his Italian Open campaign, Fritz explained why that may be the case and shared what he is doing differently to try and become an excellent clay court player.
What Taylor Fritz is doing differently to the previous generation of American players on clay
Some US players have been very clear in how well they prepared for this portion of the season. Especially Fritz and Tommy Paul, who will face Nicolas Jarry in the Italian Open semi-finals.
Paul explained how he used his injury layoff to put in extra training specifically to perform well on clay, while Fritz expressed his commitment to the surface by playing the entire swing, which has him ready for Roland Garros.
“I’ve kind of committed to this clay court swing for a long time,” Fritz told reporters in Rome after beating Grigor Dimitrov in round four.
“I think the generation before me, a lot of the Americans wouldn’t want to play the whole swing, or they skip Monte-Carlo, whatever.”
He added: “For me, clay is a huge part of the season. How can I ever be the top player that I want to be if I can’t produce some results during the clay season?
“I’m not that good where I’m going to dominate everywhere else. I always thought, ‘If I want to be a Top 10 player, I need to be putting results in on clay.’”
What are Taylor Fritz’s clay court results in 2024?
Fritz began his 2024 clay court season in Monte Carlo but lost at the first hurdle against Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets.
He bounced back at Munich’s Bavarian International where he reached the final, but was upset by home favourite Jan-Lennard Struff, who claimed the first title of his career.
A strong run to the Madrid Open semi-finals followed, where he picked up wins over seeded players Sebastian Baez, Hubert Hurkacz and Francisco Cerundolo. He suffered defeat to Andrey Rublev, who went on to claim the title, his first in the Spanish capital.
The World Number 13 picked up wins over the enigmatic Fabio Foginni, compatriot Sebastian Korda and Dimitrov in Rome before he was stopped by Alexander Zverev, who can win his second title in Rome.
Fritz will certainly be a threat at Roland Garros and should he end his run of quarter-final losses at majors, he could be an outside contender for the title.
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