By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday, September 8, 2024
new york –Taylor Fritz he had to laugh when a journalist asked him if Jannik the Sinner it had improved since the first time he played with it.
After all, it’s pretty obvious.
After falling to the ranking no. 1 in Sunday’s US Open final, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, Fritz had the following to say about the difference between the Italian then and now.
“The biggest improvement by far is his serve,” Fritz said. “If I come back – because I played him last year in Indian Wells, and he had already improved his serve. I think since then I don’t think the improvement is, like, a ton. I think he was very, very good at that point.”
Fritz says he felt comfortable returning against Sinner, believing he could win many return points against him, even against his first serve.
But that was not the case on Sunday as Sinner won 38 of his 43 first serve points and controlled the tennis conditions after his first serve.
Things were different when Fritz beat Sinner three years ago in Indian Wells.
“If I want to go to Indian Wells 2021, the serve and the swing, massive improvements,” Fritz said. “I could find myself in a lot of return games just after his first serve. I felt like I could win points off his first serve every time. Then it was much easier to hurt him from the ground, too. So he’s a lot faster, a lot better out of the corners. His serve is really good right now.”
The game of the 23-year-old Italian looks as good as ever. He improved to 6-0 in finals this season and improved to 14-0 in Slams on hardcourts with his title run in New York. Overall, Sinner is 35-2 on hard courts in 2024.
But look at the ATP Tour, Sinner still sees room for improvement.
“You always have to work, you have to work,” Sinner said. “It never stops. It’s like you always go on and on. Until now I didn’t have that much time off to say, okay, you’ve done a great job. “All this is part of the sacrifices you make for an eventual future. So we will continue to work.
“In my mind, I know I’m not perfect and I’ll never be perfect, but we’re always trying to evolve in my game. Then after my career I can say, okay, I’ve done everything possible to be at 100 percent.”
