Fritz is also the first American man in the top 10 since John Isner in June 2019Getty Images
Tennis player Taylor Fritz’s breakthrough of winning the Japan Open and entering the top 10 in the ATP rankings is the “latest sign of resurgence for American men’s tennis,” according to Christopher Clarey of the N.Y. TIMES. These are “not yet the good old days, not even close.” Americans “often dominated the tour in the late 20th century.” But it would be “churlish not to acknowledge the progress in 2022” with Frances Tiafoe making a run to the semifinals of the U.S. Open last month and the “big-serving Fritz winning three titles and putting together his finest season with the cameras often rolling behind the scenes." He is one of the players being followed for the “Drive to Survive” series on Netflix. He is also the first American man in the top 10 since John Isner in June 2019 and the first American man to make his top-10 debut since Jack Sock in November 2017. Both Fritz and the 17th-ranked Tiafoe are 24 years old, which given the “increased staying power of men’s tennis players most likely means that their best years are ahead of them.” The Fritz-Tiafoe duel in Tokyo, an ATP 500 event, was the fifth all-American men’s singles final on tour this season. Clarey notes of the seven other American men ranked in the top 50, six are “age 25 or younger.” Fritz: “I see no reason why there’s not going to be four or five Americans in the top 20 in two years" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/11).
