“It gives me a lot of confidence finishing the season like this,” said Taylor Fritz despite losing the ATP Finals’ title clash against Jannik Sinner last week. While the American may have failed to end the season with a trophy, he still managed to achieve a lot in 2024. Especially, when it comes to the ATP rankings. With his phenomenal performance in the second half of the season, Fritz finally accomplished his highest-ever career ranking. According to a former American pro, it’s a significant improvement. However, there’s still room for more work, if Fritz  really wants to become the best.

Taylor Fritz had an impressive run throughout the year across multiple events. He won two ATP titles in Delray Beach Open and the Eastbourne International. Moreover, he even reached the title clash of the US Open in September. It was the first time that he made into the final of a Grand Slam. Interestingly, he was No.12 when he started his campaign at the Flushing Meadows. He then improved on his position and regained a spot in the top 5. With that, he also qualified for the ATP Finals. His performance in Turin was mostly incredible until he lost the final battle against Sinner. “Something I told my team in 2023 when I hit world No. 5 for a week right before I was defending the Indian Wells title, was ‘That’s crazy, I’m five the world, look at all these guys ranked behind me that are probably better than me,’ ” said Fritz after realizing he’s No.4 now.

Speaking on Fritz’s outstanding jump in the ATP rankings, former American player Andy Roddick shared an intriguing, yet, honest reaction. In an episode of his Served podcast, dated November 19th, he said “That is a step. He’s going to be seeded top four”. Applauding Fritz’s achievement, he also highlighted the weird situation of the player missing out on winning big titles in 2024. Yes, he was consistent and witnessed his best season but it was still not enough. Especially, against someone like Sinner who reigned supreme every time while facing Fritz.

“A professional who’s four in the world, who’s made a grand slam final that year, you leave after getting dragged four and four and you go, one, ‘I’m not sure what else I could do’. Two, ‘I played pretty well’. Three, ‘I really had no shot'”, he said while reflecting on Fritz’s state of mind against the Fox. “That’s a weird thing for Taylor where it’s like, ‘I’ve become the best version of myself. I move better, I’m more consistent, I’ve improved everything. And also what I do plays into this guy’s strengths in this specific matchup.'”

“So if you’re Fritz’s camp, it’s weird because you’ve had a career best year, you’ve broken through the glass ceiling of only making the quarters at Grand Slams, US Open run, and a lot of name value added. But Sinner was just dominant from start to finish,” concluded Roddick. In simple words, he implied that Fritz did everything from his side to become better in 2024. Yet, he couldn’t get past the challenge of Sinner in crucial moments – when it mattered the most. On the other hand, Fritz seems to be content with what he did this year. According to him, his actual goal was to become No.5 by the end of season – but he did one better.

Taylor Fritz reacts on his career best ranking in 2024

For those who missed the ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner defeated Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets and lifted the trophy. While the American failed to create history in season finale, he succeeded in getting the No.4 spot. It was better than what he initially expected to do at the beginning of this season. “I feel like I belong. It’s a different feeling. It’s been a great year. That gives me a lot of confidence to have that belief. That’s a huge part of having the big results. The goal I set for myself at the start of the year was to finish Top 5,” said Taylor during an official post-match interview in Turin.

Meanwhile, Fritz also admired his top-class opponent Sinner. While the latter is at No.1 right now, Fritz has already started thinking about how he can take his spot going forward. “I definitely need to get more explosive and quicker in the first step,” he said while setting his sight straight on 2025. Adding further, he revealed, “If I can just get a little quicker off the split step, it will help my return of serve a lot. If I can just put myself in slightly better chances to break serve, I think that’s going to be a huge improvement. That’s something I’ve done already, but I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement there.”

After becoming no.4, the next goal for Fritz will be to win his first-ever Grand Slam. At the Australian Open next year, he will look to make it happen. In 2024, he managed to reach the QF round but Novak got the better of him eventually. Will he manage to improve this time? Only time will tell the answer.