Can Taylor Fritz Break the 21-Year American Drought? US Open 2024 Men’s Final Preview vs Jannik Sinner
Taylor Fritz has a chance to make history at the 2024 US Open.
The question on everyone’s mind as Fritz gets ready to play world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the men’s final is: Can Fritz become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles tournament since Andy Roddick in 2003?
With the intention of becoming the first American men’s Slam champion since Andy Roddick, the Californian claims, “I think I’ve always played well against Jannik.”
It seemed like a bit of a tragedy when the US Open lost its two biggest talents, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, in the first week. However, there were eventually some positives to come out of Djokovic’s loss and the way it exposed the lower part of the draw: Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe got to play in an all-American semifinal, and Fritz now has an opportunity to win the championship.
Is it asking too much of him to break the 21-year drought of homegrown men’s Slam champions in the host nation?
No.
Yes, that is a lot to ask. In this Grand Slam final, Fritz is up against the world’s top player, who is as sharp as he has been all season. But since he has performed admirably as Sinner in the past, this isn’t nearly David vs Goliath.
The two have already faced off twice, on Indian Wells’ sluggish hard courts. Sinner prevailed in their rematch in spring, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, while Fritz prevailed 6-4, 6-3 in their first meeting in 2021. Although the second one clearly had more significance, Fritz seems to have learned a lot from it, and the score was still tight.
He claims, “I think I’ve always played well against Jannik.” “We haven’t played in a while, but at Indian Wells last time, he got me in three.” I feel like I always hit the ball extremely nicely off of his ball, even though he strikes the ball really hard. I dunno.
You can see what he’s talking about by watching highlights of their 2023 contest. That day, Fritz had no issue keeping up with Sinner in rallies or matching his pace with more of his own. In the third, the American also had opportunities to win.
Will Sinner benefit more from the quicker New York court than the delayed California court? Most likely. He’s developed into a powerful hitter who can crush the ball without sacrificing precision. He’s improved and gained more self-assurance as a player since the previous year, as seen by his No. 1 ranking and hard-court Grand Slam victory. Fritz serves primarily for free points, but Sinner can return the ball well, particularly when it comes from the backhand side. He ought to force him to exert more effort than others must.
Fritz, nevertheless, has one advantage over the opposition: fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium who will be rooting for the American men to break their streak. Fritz will receive all the attention on Sunday even though he wasn’t the popular favorite against Tiafoe.
Above all, Fritz is a clutch competitor who never wavers. For the majority of their semifinal match, Tiafoe played better, but Fritz persisted long enough to prevail.
Fritz stated on Friday, “I think one thing that’s never been in question is just like my heart and how I’m going to compete no matter what.”
Fritz has a shot, and it doesn’t appear like either way things will work out well. However, Sinner has been so strong throughout this competition and in major matches over the past year on the court that I am unable to back him.
Predicted Winner: jannik Sinner
