The Davis Cup is in full swing, with fans buzzing with excitement as nations battle it out on the court. But for Team USA, the tournament hasn’t quite gone as planned, and the road to victory has been rockier than expected. Now, as Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul stepped into the spotlight for a crucial doubles match to secure a semi-final spot, the team’s decision-making came under fire. And what’s got people talking? The surprising choice to keep Taylor Fritz, their top player, on the sidelines—critics are weighing in—and among them is none other than Brad Gilbert, the tennis pundit who once guided Coco Gauff to glory.

The former American player and tennis coach is seemingly upset with Team USA captain Bob Bryan’s decision to send Paul and Shelton on the courts during a challenging time. Remember, the quarterfinals began with Shelton witnessing a shocking defeat against Australian player Thanasi Kokkinakis, who won the match in three sets, 6-1, 4-6, 7-6. With the USA trailing behind, Fritz came in action and quickly leveled the battle after baffling Alex de Minaur in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. But with the semi-finals at stake, the team decided to send back Shelton and Paul to face Matthew Ebden and Jordan Thompson, surprising many, including Gilbert. 

Taking to X, Brad Gilbert expressed disappointment over the decision and wrote, “Gutsy call 📞 from Rusty went with TK4  who barely 😥 won any match the last 3 months over Pop and it paid dividends in the 1st rubber I like Fritz Carlton in the 2nd match, should come down to doubles.” And this apprehension from Gilbert quickly came true in the match as well, with Shelton and Paul dropping the match 6-4, 6-4. The disappointed remarks from Gilbert, meanwhile, cannot be considered unjustified given the latest performance of Shelton and Fritz. 

Taylor Fritz has displayed immense skills throughout the season. Besides winning the titles at Delray Beach and Eastbourne, Fritz marched to the finals of the US Open and the Nitto ATP Finals. He also won the bronze medal in the doubles category at the Paris Olympics. On the contrary, Shelton has won only in Houston this season and emerged as the runner-up player in Basel. Besides, he lost to Kokkinakis in the ongoing Davis Cup, who has failed to win enough number of matches throughout the year, with a win-loss ratio of 13-15.

This, however, is not the first time when Brad Gilbert has depicted such an admiration for Fritz and expressed his support for Taylor. As soon as Fritz advanced for the championship match of the ATP Finals, Gilbert took to his X, expressing pride in the American star player. “Big win 😎 for Fritz Carlton taking out Zverev for the 4th time this year,  1st American 🇺🇸 man in @atptour finals since @JRBlake Blake @SharkoTennis,” the 63-year-old added. Now, as Fritz ends his season with a setback, he is pumped up to return to the courts yet again the next season, this time with more grit and improvements. 

Taylor Fritz wishes to come back stronger the next season

The close defeats against Jannik Sinner in the finals of some crucial tournaments like the US Open and the ATP Finals have definitely prompted Fritz to introspect into his game. Despite being excited to return to the courts the next season, the American star wishes to make some remarkable improvements. Speaking about the same, Fritz shared, “I definitely need to get more explosive and quicker in the first step.” 

He further added, “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.” But for now, what remains to be seen is whether more voices join Gilbert to lash out at the decision of Team USA, expressing support for Taylor Fritz.