Taylor Fritz outlines what he’s expecting from the crowd at the Paris Masters this week

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Taylor Fritz is aiming to finish his year on a high as he looks towards the ATP Finals in Turin.

Fritz, 27, has enjoyed another strong year on the ATP Tour, and is currently ranked sixth in the world after a number of strong performances in 2024.

Fritz reached the US Open final earlier this year, losing to Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in the final.

The American won a further two ATP titles in 2024, in Delray Beach and at Eastbourne, taking his career tally to eight trophies.

He had another strong showing recently during the Asian swing of the ATP season, as Fritz reached the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters where he fell short to 24-time Grand Slam champion, Novak Djokovic.

Paris is the next stop for Fritz in 2024, where he is preparing for a ruthless French crowd.

Taylor Fritz expects ‘tough’ crowd at Paris Masters

Fritz is looking for a strong outing in Paris but spoke to the Paris Masters Instagram account about being wary of a partisan French crowd.

“Hopefully it’s going to be ok, if I play a French player, I’m always expecting to hear the crowd,” he said.

“I’ve had some rough ones [matches against French players], but it’s great to see how in this country the French people get behind their players, if you’re a player playing at home that’s the kind of energy you want behind you.

“Hopefully I’ll avoid the French players, and then I think we’ll be good.”

Fritz’s most famous run-in with the French fans came at the 2023 French Open, when he famously shushed the crowd after beating home-favourite Arthur Rinderknech.

The pair made headlines again in 2024, when Fritz taunted Rinderknech after beating him at Wimbledon, saying “Have a nice flight home”, as they met at the net.

Taylor Fritz names most exciting French tennis players

French tennis is in a very exciting place as of late, and fans in Paris will be hoping the next generation of stars can impress at their home tournament.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard won the Basel Open last week, the latest emerging star in a long list of young French talent, with Arthur Fils and Ugo Humbert also having impressed in 2024.

Fritz was asked about his thoughts on the young French stars and whether they could win a big tournament such as the Paris Masters.

“I see several that have the potential,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Arthur [Fils], Ugo [Humbert] or one of those guys did it.

“They definitely possess that level for sure.”

French tennis has struggled for a long time, with no male player having won a Grand Slam since Yannick Noah at Roland Garros in 1983.

There is hope though for this new generation however, and there hasn’t been this much depth in French tennis in a long time.

They may be missing out on a big name inside the world’s top ten, but with the amount of young talent that France has at their disposal it looks like it’ll be just a matter of time.

Fils won two ATP 500 titles in 2024, reaching the top 20 for the first time in his career, whilst Humbert picked up a title at ATP 500 level himself at the Dubai Open earlier this year.

It’s not just young talent that France has to offer however, as Gael Monfils and Adrian Mannarino are still going strong just outside of the top 50 as they enter the twilight of their careers

It certainly looks like there is a lot of French talent for Fritz and the rest of the ATP Tour to contest within the coming years.

Fritz will return to court at the Paris Masters against the winner of Vienna Open champion Jack Draper and Jiri Lehecka on Wednesday.