Taylor Fritz is the highest ranked player to exit the men’s singles draw at the French Open so far.
Fritz lost to Daniel Altmaier to suffer his earliest Grand Slam defeat in nearly three years.
It has been a difficult start to the year for the American, as Fritz continues to struggle with injury.
However, the world number four is not the only big name to exit the Paris major, with John McEnroe already shocked by two results at the French Open this year.
What Steve Johnson noticed about Taylor Fritz in his shock French Open defeat
It was not just McEnroe who was staggered by what happened in Fritz’s first round match, with former world number 21 Steve Johnson also being left surprised.
When speaking on the Nothing Major Podcast, Johnson was full of praise for Altmaier’s performance.
However, Johnson also claimed that Fritz looked to be lacking belief, something that is not usually an issue for the US Open finalist.
“He [Altmaier] was playing incredible,” said Johnson. “He is very comfortable on the clay. He is somebody who plays a lot of tennis on the dirt. He was just taking his backhand line, moving Fritz around, kind of just roadhousing winners and it looked like Fritz had zero answers, which doesn’t happen too often.
“One of the biggest strengths of Taylor would be his confidence and belief in himself in winning these matches even when he is up against the wall like he was there.
“Most of the fourth set it felt like he had really no belief that he was going to win that, which was more surprising than the loss if that makes sense. Taylor is somebody who never lacks confidence, which is a huge attribute to why he has been so successful.”
What is next for Taylor Fritz?
Fritz’s early exit from the French Open means that he now has more time to prepare for a busy grass court season.
The 27-year-old has entered a tournament for every week of the grass court season up until Wimbledon.
This includes the ATP 250 tournament in Eastbourne, where Fritz won the title last year after beating Max Purcell in the final.
After winning his second career title in Eastbourne last year, Fritz went on to match his best result at Wimbledon by reaching the quarter-finals.
| Tournament | Start Date | Points Defending |
| Stuttgart Open | June 9 | Did not play in 2024 |
| Queen’s Club | June 16 | 100 (QF) |
| Eastbourne International | June 23 | 250 (W) |
| Wimbledon | June 30 | 400 (QF) |
Fritz will begin his grass court season at the Stuttgart Open, where he is the second seed behind Alexander Zverev.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
