Taylor Fritz has something to prove, again
We’ve said that a lot about the Americans over the past two years, as Fritz has slowly joined, or nearly joined, the tour’s elite. First he had to win a Masters 1000, which he did at Indian Wells three years ago. Then he had to prove he could make the Top 10, which he did. Then he had to make the semis at a Slam, which he did, as well as a final, last summer at the US Open.
At the start of 2025, winning a major, and beating guys like Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic, seemed to be next on Fritz’s to-do lost. Instead, he took a shock loss to Gael Monfils at the Australian Open, and is just 2-2 since. What does Fritz need to prove now? That he’s the same guy who made the finals of the US Open and the ATP Finals last year, and that there’s still room for him to keep moving up at 27.
Indian Wells is the place for him to do it. He loves the hard courts there, he’s from Southern California, and he looks to have a favorable early draw—Sebastian Baez and Alejandro Tabilo may be his first two opponents. Then he could face a test, either from Jack Draper or the red-hot Felix Auger-Aliassime. But as the No. 3 seed, Fritz couldn’t face Alcaraz until the semifinals. We’ll see how much momentum he can build, and confidence he can regain, by then.
