Taylor Fritz: “It’s a lifelong dream come true” | ATP Tour

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Fritz on reaching the US Open final: “It’s a lifelong dream come true”

September 07, 2024

Satisfaction, pride, relief. A myriad of emotions flooded Taylor Fritz’s face on Friday night at the US Open after reaching his first Grand Slam final. After an epic five-set duel against his compatriot Frances Tiafoe, the American assessed the feelings after achieving the biggest victory of his career.

“It came to me when [Eubanks] “I’ve been saying that I’m in the final and the crowd has been cheering me on,” Fritz said during his post-match press conference. “That’s just how I am. I consider myself an emotional person when I’m happy. When I’m really happy, I tend to cry at movies that have happy endings. I’m that kind of person.”

“I’m feeling joy right now, the crowd was cheering and I’m just taking it all in. I’m in the US Open final. It’s a lifelong dream come true. I’ve been working my whole life to be in this position. The realisation of that has taken my breath away.”

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Fritz is one match away from ending a 21-year wait for an American male Grand Slam champion. The last man to do so was Andy Roddick at Flushing Meadows in 2003.

Taylor was pleased with the current health of American tennis, adding Tiafoe to the ranks of Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda and Ben Shelton, all members of the Top 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

“It gives us hope and shows that we are knocking on the door to win a Grand Slam. We have this generation, a group of guys where four or five of us are already at this level.”

“It shows that we are moving in the right direction. When one of us achieves something, the others follow suit. Everyone becomes convinced of it. I think this is just the beginning for all of us.”

Fritz had to fight hard against Tiafoe and came close to defeat with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 4-6 in front of a fired-up crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, the 12th seed pushed himself to turn the match around.

Fritz, who has climbed five spots to No. 7 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, was pleased with the resilience he displayed on court.

“One thing that’s never been in doubt is my heart, the way I compete no matter the circumstances,” said Fritz, who leads Tiafoe 7-1 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“I kept telling myself that I had to fight and work tirelessly. If I don’t give everything I have and focus as much as I can, I’m going to regret it for the rest of my life. I had to hold my ground in some of those long points, because I needed to show him that I wasn’t going to give up. I felt fit, I wanted to run for every ball and fight in every point.”

On Sunday, Fritz will become the first American man in a Grand Slam final since Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is the last obstacle between Fritz and glory, but the American is confident of his chances.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing against him. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll feel any more pressure in the final than I did today. For me, today was more stressful than the idea of ​​playing in a final. I feel good,” Fritz said. “I have a feeling that I’m going to go out there, play at a high level and win. When I play good tennis, I think the level is good enough to win.”

Sinner and Fritz are now tied (1-1) in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The final will take place at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday from 2 pm EDT/ 8 pm CET.