America was in Taylor Fritz’s corner at the U.S. Open and that included its two-time winner watching in his Carlsbad home.
“It was a good match,” tennis legend Rod Laver said. “He played well and served well. The other guy was just a little bit better.”
The other guy was Italian Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 player in the world.
Fritz, who grew up in Rancho Santa Fe and won a CIF singles title at Torrey Pines High, was no saint of a Sunday opponent.
Sinner prevailed, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, in New York City.
But Fritz was serving for the third set at 5-3 and seemed poised for a comeback before Sinner’s groundstrokes proved too powerful and precise.
“Both guys hit the ball really hard, but Sinner was just a little more accurate,” said Laver, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “Taylor was playing well, but Sinner was pushing him around a little bit, and it was tough for Taylor to get control of the point. Taylor didn’t take advantage at some key moments in the match.”
These past two weeks have been insane, reaching my first US Open final was a huge moment for me and I’m motivated now more than ever to keep striving for more… Thank you for all the incredible love and support over the past 2 weeks it made it all even more special❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/IBec29flq2
— Taylor Fritz (@Taylor_Fritz97) September 10, 2024
Laver, 86, knows what it takes to be the tennis king in Queens. He won the 1962 and ’69 U.S. Open titles, the years he claimed grand slams by adding the championships of Wimbledon and the Australian and French Opens.
No man has done it since, much like it’s been a minute since an American hoisted the U.S. Open trophy.
Andy Roddick was the last to do so in 2003, and that has a local angle, too. He was coached by Larry Stefanki, a North County resident.
Fritz, seeded No. 12, was the first American to reach a U.S. Open final in 18 years and any major in 15 years.
That’s a lengthy drought between Roddick and Fritz, and Fritz was close to erasing it.
“That’s just kind of how it goes when you’re playing the best player in the world right now,” said Fritz, who at No. 7 is the top-ranked American.
Fritz, though, did something that only happened when he closed his eyes as a youngster. When he entered the massive Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis venue in the world, Fritz’s long aspiration came true.
“Walking out to play my match on Ashe in the U.S. Open finals is what I dreamed about my whole life,” Fritz, 26, said. “It almost got me emotional, but I was just really happy and ready to enjoy the moment.”
There’ll be others, and that includes participating in the Laver Cup later this month in Berlin. The exhibition brings together the world’s top players for a weekend of matches, and Fritz can rightly claim to be one of them.
His popularity and game only continue to grow, and according to Laver, once he fine-tunes a few things, watch out.
“I think the experience of being in the U.S. Open final will help him,” Laver said. “He’ll remember where he made mistakes and how he could have maybe served better or put more pressure on his opponent.
“You only get so many chances in a tight match and you have to be able to serve them out, convert the break points, keep the pressure on your opponent and not let them slip away. But it’s a learning curve for Taylor and I think he will be better for it.”
Fritz was bummed in the post-match press briefing, but that will pass, too.
“There’s obviously lots of positives and when I get some time to cool down then I’ll be happy about the fact that I made it to the finals,” he said. “I feel American fans have been wanting a men’s champion for a long time, and I almost feel like I let a lot of people down.”
His overall game soars in the other direction. In addition to his eight career ATP titles, he won the bronze medal in doubles this summer at the Paris Olympics.
And he popped at the U.S. Open by being himself and that was good enough.
“At any point was it like, ‘Wow, I’m playing incredible or I’m playing out of my mind,”’ Fritz said. “I think that it’s just extremely reassuring to me that I was able to get to this point, just playing solid tennis. I know there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”
Laver said these lessons absorbed in painful defeats often lead to life-changing victories.
“I don’t know if it’s ever good to lose, but you learn things about yourself and your game,” Laver said. “Although Taylor lost, he now has the confidence that he can do it.”
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected] and follow him @jparis_sports
