“I’m back,” Taylor Fritz cheekily scribbled on the camera lens after a resounding win in Stuttgart. That message wasn’t just flair. It was a statement. Fritz was the boss at the Boss Open final, brushing aside Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6(0) to win for the fifth time in a row against the German. That win didn’t just come with a trophy. It came with a climb. The American is back to No. 4 in the world after briefly dropping to No. 7 following a first-round exit at Roland Garros. With Wimbledon now on the horizon, the question is simple. Can Taylor Fritz carry this grass-court momentum all the way? One American legend thinks he can.
If there’s one American who looks primed to make a deep run at Wimbledon, it’s Taylor Fritz. He’s the only active player from the US to have reached a Grand Slam final, doing it just last year at the US Open before falling to Jannik Sinner. But the grass courts of the All England Club offer a whole different story. And if you ask Andy Roddick, this is where Fritz’s game truly comes alive.
Andy Roddick, on his podcast “Served,” threw his weight behind Fritz. The former US Open champion laid it out with his trademark clarity. He said, “Don’t sleep on Taylor. Fritz on grass, I want to say, I’ll get this slightly wrong, but if I’m not perfect, you get the gist of it, I think. He’s won seven or eight times on tour, and four of them have been on grass. You know, he was a couple of points away from the semis, where he would have played Kyrgios.”
He further continued, “He beat Zverev in a pretty dramatic five-setter last year. And then, I was, at the time, shocked by the loss to Musetti, and Musetti has basically built on that and made it normal for him to be at the tail end of tournaments. But no surprises, Taylor needs this shift to grass. He would probably tell you, ‘I feel like I’m playing well, but I haven’t quite hit that results metric’—you know, the results that I’m used to.”
The 27-year-old’s grass record holds up. The American has four grass-court titles, including his latest in Stuttgart. The other three? All in Eastbourne, where he’s turned Centre Court into his personal green playground. That number puts him in elite company. Among active players, only Novak Djokovic has more grass-court titles with eight. Matteo Berrettini and Nicolas Mahut also have four each. Now, Fritz is right up there with them.
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 8, 2024 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
And he’s not just picking up easy wins. At Wimbledon this year, Taylor Fritz broke Alexander Zverev’s perfect serving record in a five-set masterclass. After falling two sets behind, he flipped the script with a 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3 comeback to punch his ticket to the quarterfinals. That match was a turning point. But Fritz’s grass campaign didn’t end the way he wanted. In the quarterfinals, Lorenzo Musetti had other plans. The Italian handed Fritz a heartbreaking five-set loss, winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.
Still, reaching the quarterfinals at Wimbledon is no small feat. Especially when the surface suits your game and the confidence is building with every match. But Taylor Fritz isn’t the only American making noise right now. The entire men’s field is buzzing with stars wearing red, white, and blue.
With Taylor Fritz Leading the Charge, American Men Reach Landmark Milestone
Remember the days of Andre Agassi, James Blake, and Andy Roddick? American tennis had flair, firepower, and results. But since Roddick’s 2003 US Open win, there’s been a Grand Slam drought on the men’s side. That might be about to change.
Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Tommy Paul are leading a real resurgence. For the first time in 19 years, three American men have broken into the ATP Top 10 at the same time. Fritz is back at No. 4. Paul surged to a career-high No. 8 after a Roland Garros quarterfinal run, his third in the last four majors. Shelton cracked the Top 10 for the first time after making the semifinals at the Boss Open.
That’s a major milestone. And it’s not just a numbers game. These three are showing up at the slams, making deep runs, and collecting hardware. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz is chasing history at Wimbledon. He’s trying to win his third straight title at the All England Club. But if Taylor Fritz can somehow pull off the impossible and take the crown, he’d be the first American man to do it since Pete Sampras in 2000.
That’s 25 years ago. A quarter of a century. No pressure, right? Fritz has the tools. He has the form. And now, he has the belief. The American men are rising. And Taylor Fritz just might be leading the charge. Will he be the one to end the drought at Wimbledon?
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