By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, November 17, 2024
Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty for the Laver Cup
Taylor Fritz left a big mark on American tennis in Turin.
US Open finalist Fritz will lead the US Davis Cup quest in Malaga.
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Fifth Fritz, who was the first American to compete in an ATP Finals title match since James Blake in 2006, will try to lead Team USA to its first Davis Cup championship since 2007 in Malaga, Spain next week.
After his 6-4, 6-4 loss to world no Jannik the Sinner at today’s ATP Finals, Fritz confirmed that he is heading to Malaga with a mission in mind.
“I will go to the Davis Cup,” Fritz told the media in Turin. “I think they want me to train tomorrow. I said it probably won’t happen (smiling).
“I think I need a day off. Yeah, I’d like to go home. All the players, we got together and said, we’ve got a really strong team, let’s do our best, try to win this thing.”
USA Davis Cup Captain Bob Bryan labeled Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton, Rajeev Ram, and Austin Krajicek in the squad for the 2024 Davis Cup Final 8, to be played November 19-24 at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena in Malaga, Spain.
The United States will face Australia in a quarterfinal matchup of the two most successful nations in Davis Cup history.
The USA is playing for a record 33rd Davis Cup championship and its first Davis Cup crown since 2007 when it defeated Russia in the final in Portland, Oregon.
28-time Davis Cup champions Australia were runners-up to Italy last year. Captain Lleyton Hewitt’s team is playing for its first Davis Cup championship since 2003.
“I can’t do that to guys,” Fritz said of his commitment to his teammates. “I’ve got to go out and I’ll do my best with them. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
