Russell, Fritz's coach: "Taylor may well end up winning the big tournaments".
After an excellent end to the season which saw him reach the final at the US Open and then the ATP Finals, where he fell to Sinner on both occasions, Taylor Fritz finished the year in 4th place in the rankings.
He has established himself as an outsider for the Australian Open. In his Melbourne opener, the American, who has just won the United Cup with his country, will face compatriot Jenson Brooksby.
The latter will be playing in his first tournament since the same tournament in Melbourne in 2023.
Speaking to the Australian Open website, Fritz's coach, Michael Russell, commented on his protégé's progress in recent months.
"Going further in the big tournaments like the US Open and the ATP Finals brings a lot more guarantees to Taylor's game.
He may well end up winning these tournaments. All of a sudden, you finish the year 4th in the rankings and you're one of the best players in the world.
This is clearly the best season of his career, and I think he needs to keep the confidence he has right now. He's a great competitor.
He's won a lot of long matches, but Taylor's game is based on a big serve and a very good forehand.
The shorter the matches, the more likely it is that the outcome will be in his favor, because he's able to dominate his opponents in the exchange", he analyzes.
"He's really improved his physical condition in recent years, which is why he's able to play so many long matches and win them.
He has good statistics in four- and five-set matches, as we saw at the last US Open.
I think his concentration and intensity have improved a lot, and his ability to go forward in matches is better, leading him to finish more points at net. That's what he needed to do.
He's starting to believe it because he's seen that in the really important moments when he's been able to finish at the net, his initiative has paid off.
That boosts his confidence and his ability to win against top players," Russell has assured us in recent hours.
