Taylor Fritz played a big role in Team World’s Laver Cup win over Team Europe in San Francisco.
Fritz had a standout tournament, picking up five points across his three matches. He also secured the decisive victory over Alexander Zverev to wrap things up for Team World.
READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz sends Casper Ruud message after Laver Cup doubles partnership
That followed a tough win over Carlos Alcaraz, who ended up tied with Alex de Minaur as the top points scorer of the week.
Team World, led by captain Andre Agassi, picked up their third Laver Cup title and will look to defend it when the event heads to London in 2026.
Jack Sock backs Taylor Fritz to build on Laver Cup form
Fritz now heads to the Japan Open, looking to pick up his third ATP title of 2025 and the 11th of his career.
Before that, though, he’s picked up praise from two former pros for the way he played in San Francisco.
Jack Sock told the Nothing Major Show: “I think Fritz is the guy who has a first round in Beijing at 10am and he is ready to go and stoked to play, let alone the Laver Cup in that moment at that stage.
“He is ready to go at all times, 365 days a year it feels like. It showed. He wants that moment and to try get those wins.
“I think even though he is a top five player in the world, he still wants to prove himself to everyone ranked ahead of him and right around him and he showed it.”
Sock went on: “It was awesome to watch. He played the best tennis we have probably ever seen him play and then backs it up with a huge win on Sunday as well over Zverev.
Taylor Fritz’s ‘masterclass’ at the Laver Cup praised by Steve Johnson
Fritz’s Laver Cup campaign got off to a slow start. He and Alex Michelsen dropped their opening doubles match 6-7(7-9), 4-6 to Alcaraz and Jakub Mensik, putting Team World behind early.
But from there, Fritz turned things around. He responded with a strong showing against Alcaraz, winning 6-3, 6-2 on day two. Then he sealed the title for Team World with a hard-fought victory over Zverev on day three.
Speaking after the event, Steve Johnson said: “He played insane against Carlos. The court looked so slow from TV, but that is good for Taylor.”
“He is somebody who can absolutely smash the ball off both sides of the racket, stand in the middle of the court and just throw haymakers whenever he wants.”
“He strikes the ball so cleanly. I think that was a huge factor for him because it is hard to break the sidelines and get Carlos out of position.”
“But when Taylor is standing in the middle and just dominating like that, that was just a work of art. If that doesn’t give Taylor the confidence to go and win a Slam… not that he didn’t have it already,” said Johnson.
The week should be a huge boost for Fritz, although he has little time to celebrate either his performance or his first-ever win over Alcaraz.
He now takes on Gabriel Diallo in the opening round of the Japan Open in Tokyo, where he is seeded second.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
