What a season Taylor Fritz is having! The American star has been unstoppable, collecting accolades left and right, and now he’s gearing up for another massive milestone in Turin. Fritz has punched his ticket to the championship match at the ATP Finals, setting up an epic showdown with Jannik Sinner. The tennis world is buzzing with excitement and pride over his incredible achievements, and the latest to join the chorus of admiration is none other than Brad Gilbert, Coco Gauff’s former coach.

The American tennis sensation played a closely-knit contest against his German counterpart Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. While the first set of the match went in Fritz’s favor, Zverev quickly bounced back to win the second set and force a decider. The third set turned out to be a total drama and was eventually moved into a tie-breaker before Fritz clinched it from Zverev, ultimately winning the match 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3). This grit and determination from Fritz has been lauded by many with Gilbert joining the fray expressing his pride. 

Taking to X, the 63-year-old lauded the American star and wrote, “Big win 😎 for Fritz Carlton taking out Zverev for the 4th time this year,  1st american 🇺🇸 man in @atptour finals since @JRBlake Blake @SharkoTennis.” Remember, this victory increased the lead of the American player against Zverev in the head-to-head tally who now has 7 wins against him in their 12 encounters. Besides, out of the 5 matches they have played this year, Zverev could only win one with the last four matches going in Fritz’s favor. But this was not the only milestone that Fritz bagged after defeating Zverev.

The 27-year-old became the first American player to qualify for the championship match of the ATP Finals since James Blake in 2006. He will now face Sinner in the re-match of the US Open Finals, where the Italian dynamo outshined Fritz in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. This, however, is not the first time that Gilbert has rallied his support behind Fritz. 

Ahead of Taylor Fritz’s encounter with Alexander Zverev, Gilbert took to his X account to highlight the possibilities that lie ahead for the American player. “Live ATP Ranking Fritz Carlton too 5 and could move up to 4, is the 1st American 🇺🇸 man to finish in top 5 since 2006 @JRBlake finished the year number 4,” Gilbert wrote signifying his support for Fritz to continue his dominant form. And Gilbert’s support is justified given the kind of season that Fritz has witnessed so far. 

Besides winning in Delray Beach and Eastbourne, the American player also clinched the runner-up title in the US Open, thereby proving his mettle. And now, as he gears up for yet another finals, he seems to be motivated and confident enough to face the World No. 1

“Grown as a player” – Taylor Fritz expresses confidence ahead of clash with Jannik Sinner

Taylor Fritz has never won a title on the indoor hard courts and if he manages to outshine Jannik Sinner, it would no less than be a history for the American player. However, the road ahead is not easy for Fritz who has lost 3 of the 4 encounters against Sinner. The only victory for the Americans came in 2021 at Indian Wells. However, Fritz is trying to remain stoic and confident ahead of the grand clash. 

Speaking about facing Sinner again, Fritz said, “Very similar circumstances and moments because we played already in the round-robin stage. Now the final again.” Remember, Fritz was baffled against Sinner in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, during the round-robin stage in Turin. Continuing further, he tried to remain calm and expressed confidence in his skills. “I’ll just try to play the best I can tomorrow. Anything can happen. Just happy to be back here. From last year to now, I feel like I have more experience and I’ve grown as a player. Hopefully tomorrow is gonna be a good day. I trust my game and I trust my level.”

As the tournament unfolds, it would be interesting to see if Taylor Fritz can do the unexpected and outshine the local boy Sinner in Italy to clinch the glorious title.