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Taylor Fritz gives his honest thoughts on how the Italian crowd treated him during his match vs Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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Taylor Fritz commented on playing Jannik Sinner in front of his home crowd at the ATP Finals.

The 23-year-old is playing on home soil for the first time as the World number one and he maintained his unbeaten start to the season-ending championships.

In one hour and 40 minutes, Sinner claimed a 6-4, 6-4 win over Fritz, to the delight of the Italian fans in Turin.

Despite supporting the reigning Australian Open and US Open winner, Fritz did not feel any hostility from the spectators in attendance.

What did Taylor Fritz say about the Italian crowd when facing Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals?

Jannik Sinner needed one break of serve in both sets to win a high-quality and evenly-contested match against Taylor Fritz.

The two-time Grand Slam winner’s spot in the last four the ATP Finals seems all but secure barring a drastic result in his final round robin match Daniil Medvedev.

Fritz will take on Alex de Minaur in his next match at the ATP Finals. This is a critical match for the World number seven, who could be eliminated should he lose and if other results go against him.

There was a roar of delight from the Italian fans when Sinner defeated Fritz for the third successive time. Post-match Fritz talked about playing in that atmosphere and how he felt out on court.

“I don’t feel like I felt too much pressure,” he told reporters. “A lot of that is because I am confident in my game right now. I have been playing well and when I got on court I felt like I was playing well. A lot of things were working well for me.

“I felt like the crowd for me playing the world number one in Italy was pretty respectful. I have definitely dealt with some pretty crazy stuff, playing against home players in other countries and it feels a lot worse.

“I thought the crowd was pretty nice. It wasn’t a very stressful match to play, honestly, it was a fun match to play. It was high level the whole time.”

A general view of Inalpi Arena is seen during the round
Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images

Taylor Fritz aims to end 2024 season on a high

Fritz has enjoyed a consistent season that is arguably the best of his career so far.

He has claimed two titles at Delray Beach and Eastbourne, and went back to his career-high ranking of number five.

Furthermore, he made his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, and also claimed an Olympic bronze medal alongside Tommy Paul in the men’s doubles.

Now Fritz wants to claim glory at the ATP Finals which is his last chance to claim some individual silverware in 2024.

He will head to the Davis Cup finals with the USA after competing in Turin, and will try to help his country claim a record-extending 33rd title.