Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday November 16, 2024
Taylor Fritz he hopes to do the unthinkable against what could be played on Sunday in Turin.
That's the setup for the American, who will bid to become the first man from his country to win the ATP Finals since Pete Sampras in 1999 when he met World No.1 and favorite Jannik Sinner in the final.
Sinner held his own against Fritz in 2024, defeating the American in the US Open final in three easy sets and knocking him out of the round-robin earlier this week in Turin, 6-4, 6-4. .
Fritz is now 1-3 with three losses in a row against Sinner but believes he is making strides against the Italian despite losing the last six sets between the two rivals without a draw.
On Saturday, after knocking out World No.2 Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, Fritz told the media that his 6-4, 6-4 defeat at the hands of Sinner earlier in the week was closer than it looked.
“I felt very comfortable from the start,” he said of the loss. “I got opportunities in that game. I had chances to break him in both sets. He had an equal number of opportunities, and took his. He played big points better than me in the group stage match.
The loss was compounded by his 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 loss to Sinner at Flushing Meadows at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A rematch of the US Open finals…Predictions?#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Oql98zO3si
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 16, 2024
“It didn't feel as close as one-sided like the Open,” Fritz said. “I felt like the game to me felt a lot closer than 4-on-4. Like I said, he played the big scores better. He is the best player in the world. He plays with a lot of confidence. That's something you have to expect from him, to play well in big points.
“I have improved a lot in my game. For me at the US Open, the biggest thing was that I didn't play well honestly. I didn't work well. If I don't perform well, it sets the rest of my game up for failure, I'd say.
In this case, Fritz says he doesn't need to change much. He just needs to rise to the occasion.
“The way I played against him in the group stage was the right way to play,” he said. “I think if I work better in the two games that I broke, I play one or two points better in the return game where I got my chances, it would be a different game. Obviously that's a big question because he's playing incredibly big scores.
“But I wouldn't change anything. I believe the game in the group stage was closer than you would think from looking at the score.”
