Taylor Fritz is into the second round of the Australian Open, but only after a lengthy battle with Valentin Royer.
Fritz defeated Royer 7-6(7-5), 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 after three hours and two minutes of intense action at John Cain Arena in Melbourne.
It proved to be a very tricky test for the Australian Open ninth seed, who has endured a difficult time with injury lately.
Fritz thinks the season is too long, having returned to tennis at the United Cup earlier this year after playing at the ATP Finals in November.
Which American man and woman do you think will go furthest at the Australian Open?
Taylor Fritz must improve his return after Australian Open scare
Fritz was, as ever, formidable with his service against Royer, hitting 24 aces and just three double faults in their first round match.
He also won 82% of his first serve points, with a first serve average of 193km/h and a fastest serve of 215km/h.
Fritz finished the match with 73% of his service points won, but in stark contrast won just 42% of his return points.
Very worryingly, he won just 30% of his first serve return points, which is clearly an area he must improve upon if he is to enjoy a lengthy stay in Melbourne.
What has been the biggest upset at the Australian Open so far?
Taylor Fritz should already be aware of his return struggles
Fritz should already be working on that area behind the scenes given that it is statistically the worst part of his game concerning three key categories.
The ATP stats focus on serve leaders, return leaders and under pressure leaders, with Fritz more than okay in two of the three areas.
He is currently the third-best server in the men’s game, and is ranked 14th when it comes to performing under pressure.
But the American is way down in 46th place when it comes to the best returners, with Jannik Sinner incidentally topping all three leaderboards.
Fritz has a great chance to improve in that area in his next outing in Melbourne, where he takes on Vit Kopriva.
| Return rating (rank) | % 1st serve return points won | % 2nd serve return points won | % return games won | % break points converted |
| 134.1 (46th) | 26.1% | 51.4% | 17.9% | 38.7% |
And while he should be very confident of winning that match, the ATP number nine must be careful to avoid an early upset, which a handful of his rivals have already suffered.
Joao Fonseca is out of the Australian Open, while on the WTA Tour his fellow Americans Venus Williams and Emma Navarro were among the early exits.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
