Taylor Fritz will be looking to win his first Grand Slam title at the 2025 Australian Open.
Few players enjoyed better years in 2024 than Fritz, who reached a maiden Grand Slam final.
Fritz lost in the final of the US Open to Jannik Sinner, having beaten the likes of Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, and Frances Tiafoe in the earlier rounds.
He then fell once more to Sinner, as Fritz lost in the final of the ATP Finals to the Italian, having already lost to him earlier in the week during the group stages.
The American started 2025 with a bang, as Fritz helped Team USA win the United Cup for the second time in three years, clinching the title with his victory over Hubert Hurkacz.
Fritz is now one of the most highly rated players on the ATP Tour, something that wouldn’t have come as a surprise to one coaching legend, who predicted big things for the 27-year-old back in 2020.
Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone said Taylor Fritz ‘could win Majors’ five years ago
Speaking on the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, Jon Wertheim revealed what Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone told him about Fritz years ago.
“A few years ago we were speaking to [Paul] Annacone and said ‘Realistically how good is this kid?’ Paul said ‘really, really good, this guy could win majors,” said Wertheim.
“We all went really, because his results haven’t quite been there.
“He said this guy will be outworked by nobody, he gets mad at himself.
“You take a look at him, nice looking guy, sponsored by Hugo Boss and you don’t think of him as necessarily a grinder, this was four or five years ago.
“Paul was saying this guy has got what it takes and Paul was 100% correct.”
Former world number one Andy Roddick went on to predict who Fritz could potentially struggle against at this year’s Australian Open.
“I have so much respect for Taylor [Fritz] and something I can relate to in my career, it’s just a brutal match up,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean you’re not doing something right or putting in the yards or the work, this specific match-up with Fritz and [Jannik] Sinner.
“Should it happen it’s just a very tough one for Taylor Fritz and I would be fascinated to be in the room with Mike Russell and Paul Annacone as they are trying to problem-solve this match-up which on paper and with recent history has been a very tough one.”
Fritz has struggled against Sinner in recent times, losing each of their last four meetings on the ATP Tour.
- 2024 ATP Finals (F) – Sinner wins in straight sets
- 2024 ATP Finals (RR) – Sinner wins in straight sets
- 2024 US Open (F) – Sinner wins in straight sets
- 2023 Indian Wells (QF) – Sinner wins in three sets.
Roddick and Wertheim both predicted Fritz to achieve a career-best result at the 2025 Australian Open, despite his head-to-head struggles against the world number one.
“But the fact we are, in this section with a lot of really, really tough match-ups and players, we are both putting Taylor in the semis is a tip of the cap to his progress over the last 18 months, two years, three years,” said Roddick.
How has Taylor Fritz performed at the Australian Open throughout his career?
Roddick and Wertheim may both be backing the American to reach the last four, but how would that compare to his past results at Melbourne Park?
The 27-year-old has played nine previous Australian Open tournaments, and has made it out of the fourth round just once.
| Year | Round lost in | Opponent | Score |
| 2024 | QF | Novak Djokovic | Lost in four sets |
| 2023 | 2R | Alexei Popyrin | Lost in five sets |
| 2022 | 4R | Stefanos Tsitsipas | Lost in five sets |
| 2021 | 3R | Novak Djokovic | Lost in five sets |
| 2020 | 3R | Dominic Thiem | Lost in four sets |
| 2019 | 3R | Roger Federer | Lost in three sets |
| 2018 | Q2 | Mathias Bourgue | Lost in three sets (best of three) |
| 2017 | 1R | Gilles Muller | Lost in three sets |
| 2016 | 1R | Jack Sock | Lost in five sets |
Whilst his results haven’t been the best over the years, it’s fair to say that Fritz never went down without a fight.
In five of his nine Australian Open exits, Fritz lost in a deciding set, an impressive, if frustrating record.
Perhaps the toughest of which came at the 2021 tournament, when Fritz came closer than anyone to knocking out eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
As the Serb struggled with injury Fritz took things to a deciding set, before Djokovic eventually came through a 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, winner.
The American will certainly be hoping to use his experience to come out on top, should he find himself dragged into a fifth set at this year’s Australian Open.
Fritz will begin his Australian Open campaign against fellow American Jenson Brooksby on January 13.
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