Hard work can never go in vain, can it? Ask Taylor Fritz, who is reaping the rewards of putting on consistent displays year after year. The American star has been the top player in his country for quite some time now. However, he is set for a record finish this year after an amazing run in the tournaments of late. A couple of months back, he reached the summit clash of the US Open, his best showing at the Grand Slam level. Now with another consistent run at the ATP Finals in Turin, Fritz is set to make history. As a result, Coco Gauff’s ex-coach, Brad Gilbert, talked highly about the American star.

After defeating Alex de Minaur in his last group-stage match in Turin, Fritz confirmed his entry into the semifinals of the tournament. With this, he also rose to the fifth spot in the Live ATP Rankings. Moreover, Fritz has a golden opportunity to reach the fourth spot with another victory here. Reacting to Fritz’s amazing display at the ATP Finals, Gilbert backed him to continue his winning run.

Gilbert took to his official X handle and wrote, “Live ATP Ranking Fritz Carlton too 5 and could move up to 4, is the 1st American 🇺🇸 man to finish in top 5 since 2006 @JRBlake finished the year number 4.” Fritz has a chance to make history and achieve the best-ever finish of his tennis career.

The ATP Finals, known as the Tennis Masters Cup back in 2006, was a happy hunting ground for James Blake. During the 2006 edition, he won 2 of the 3 group-stage matches and qualified for the semifinals. Subsequently, he went on to defeat David Nalbandian in the last 4 clash before losing against Roger Federer in the summit clash. Thus, Fritz would look to replicate the feat of Blake and even go a step ahead and win the title in Turin.

Meanwhile, Fritz’s performances of late have been catching the eyes of many tennis legends. Even former American pro star Jim Courier hailed Fritz’s amazing 2024 season.

Jim Courier on Taylor Fritz: ‘He’s gotten stronger’

Fritz is enjoying one of the best seasons of his tennis career. He won 2 ATP titles this year alongside a consistent display at the tournaments. It enabled him to achieve his career-best ranking of Number 5 in the world. Further, Fritz could see a potential upside by going to the distance in Turin.

Heaping praise on Fritz, American tennis legend, Jim Courier said, “This year has been a major breakthrough for him – literally. This has been the year he’s become a real factor in the majors that he’s played in, to his credit. He’s really consistently putting himself into position… The guy’s improved his movement, he’s gotten stronger – you don’t have to question his fitness. Now it’s about maintaining what you’re doing well and making minor improvements on things.”

Fritz will face Alexander Zverev in the semifinal encounter tomorrow. It’ll be interesting to see who gets the better of whom in the clash between two hard-hitting players.