Fritz deserves more recognition

Fernando Murciego | 4 Aug 2025 | 22.12

Taylor Fritz signing autographs in Canada. Source: Getty

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It's all laughs with Taylor Fritz until a stat hits you in the face: first American in the Open Era to reach the quarterfinals in all Masters 1000 events. Not Sampras, not Agassi, not Roddick, none that you remember. It had to be Fritz, one of the most underrated men on the current circuit, who made a statement with a statistic to remind us that not anyone can be where he is. A player far from the popularity that a top-4 in the world should have, but slowly finding his place, improving his skills, and convincing the skeptics. Not everyone, of course, miracles do not exist.

Still missing that first Grand Slam title –got close at the last US Open– Fritz's journey within the circuit has been consistently upward in recent years. Yes, the final leap is ahead, as it was for many in previous generations. For now, he's not exactly amassing trophies in the Masters 1000, but this figure shows that Taylor has achieved the consistency to be dangerous in any situation. Beyond surfaces, tours, or even form, very few players can currently tell you they have reached the quarterfinals in all nine Masters 1000 events on the calendar. For example, Jannik Sinner will have to wait a bit to boast such a stat.

But let's talk about Fritz, as we should. Here are his numbers in Masters 1000 events:

Indian Wells: CHAMPION (2022)
Miami: Semifinals (2025)
Monte Carlo: Semifinals (2023)
Madrid: Semifinals (2024)
Rome: Quarterfinals (2024)
Canada: Quarterfinals (2025)
Cincinnati: Quarterfinals (2022, 2023)
Shanghai: Semifinals (2024)
Paris: Quarterfinals (2021)

“The truth is that the stat is quite cool. They mentioned it to me right after my last match, while I was aiming to achieve this milestone that no other American had before. It seems incredible to me. The numbers show that I've had good results everywhere, so I suppose the next step is to reach the semifinals in all these tournaments, or at least try,” valued the Rancho Santa Fe player after his victory early this morning against Jiri Lehecka, the win that completed the circle allowing us to be writing this article.

How relevant is what Fritz has accomplished? How difficult is it? There aren't many who can claim it, starting with his country. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, and Andy Roddick came close to this feat, but all stumbled at the same hurdle: Monte Carlo. As for Jim Courier, the same happened with the Masters of Hamburg, relocated to Madrid since 2009. Regarding Michael Chang, his card was left with vacant squares in both tournaments, making them the Americans who came closest. However, the clay of the '90s was nothing like today's clay, but that's a debate for another time.

We know how challenging comparisons are, how difficult it is to find yourself in a dominance situation among the chosen ones. The chosen ones? Whether Agassi-Sampras, the Big3, or now Alcaraz-Sinner. With these people, it's very hard to assess those coming behind, at any level of the pyramid, an injustice we as journalists often fall into. Why isn't Taylor Fritz valued enough? We know he's not the most charismatic, not the most virtuous in terms of tennis, in fact, even in the USA, he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. We want to send a message of reflection, of analysis to an enviable record that has continued to grow, especially in the last two years. This guy is very good, that's the only way you can reach world No. 4, no matter the era. Alexander Zverev shouldn't lose focus because the world's top 3 rankings are getting closer for the California player.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fritz merece más reconocimiento

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