Taylor Fritz has given his honest verdict on whether Novak Djokovic can now go on to win the US Open after their match.
It was a frustratingly uneventful clash between these two superstars of the sport, in a showdown that was billed by many as a blockbuster.
However, it was anything but, as the 38-year-old swanned to victory with minimal fuss.
Going into the match, Novak Djokovic held a 10-0 winning record over his American opponent, and that was brutally exhibited throughout. Taylor Fritz looked overwhelmed, and lost in four sets.
Now asked to rate the victor’s chances of going all the way, he was apprehensive about offering a definitive answer.
Taylor Fritz admits he was excited to play Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Speaking at his press conference, his fears for Djokovic were justified.
After all, with Carlos Alcaraz next up and likely Jannik Sinner waiting in the final, he will have to go through the two best players in the world by some distance, both of whom have been in scintillating form over the last few months.
Fritz began by noting: “It’s tough to say because I think that the level increased a lot in the fourth set. He served better and made a lot less mistakes. He played better in the fourth.
“I think the first three sets, I don’t think either one of us played our best. I think that it just depends how much this one took out of him. I really can’t speak for him.”
He then admitted his own regret at not being in his position, continuing: “I am not sure, but I was really excited at the fact that is what I was looking at in the draw. I was like, I have the opportunity to do the coolest thing ever and potentially try to go through Novak, Carlos and Sinner. I liked the challenge, so I am sure that being the competitor that he is, is very excited for that challenge.”
Djokovic has already spoken about how he’s feeling about facing Alcaraz, and seems well aware of the threats the Spaniard poses.
Taylor Fritz’s terrible record against Djokovic, Alcaraz and Sinner
As touched upon earlier, with this loss at the US Open, Fritz has extended his losing run against Djokovic to 11 straight matches.
However, against the other two players whom he had grand aspirations of beating too, his record is no better.
Having faced Jannik Sinner five times, his only win came in their first-ever meeting, over four years ago.
Meanwhile, he has never recorded a single victory over Alcaraz, losing all three of their matches, most recently in the Wimbledon semi-final.
Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images
Therefore, against this dominant trio of the ATP Tour, Fritz boasts a dreadful record of one win and 18 losses.
Unless this changes anytime soon, he will likely never realise his greatest ambitions within the sport.