Taylor Fritz praises Alexander Zverev for doing one thing ‘so well’ throughout his career

Having met 16 times on the court, the ATP duo certainly know each other well, with Fritz winning 10 of those encounters. The big servers also practiced together during Fan Week of the US Open.

Taylor Fritz praises Alexander Zverev’s ability to stay healthy

Fritz said of Zverev on The Big T Podcast: “It obviously shows that it’s doable. I think for me the biggest thing is remaining healthy. I think that’s one thing that I think Sascha has done so well throughout the years, outside of that one ankle injury. He’s never really missing events.

“I feel like he’s done such a good job of staying healthy. And then that’s where you can really train a lot and play a lot and then find that level of just really high-level, consistent tennis that he’s been able to produce for so long. And that’s kind of I think what it’s going to take to win a Slam, is just to be operating at that level for a while.

“And I think that’s kind of where I was at in 2024. I felt like that was really going for me. And then since then I think there’s just been a little bit too much of battling injuries for me to find that consistent level that I can play all the time and not have little things pop up.

“It was the oblique in the beginning of last year that I lightly tore. And then it was the knee at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. I think I’m finally getting to the point where I can get back to building again, doing all the things that I need to do to get that level back.

“But it’s felt great playing with I think more physicality, back to the physicality that I was used to playing at when I was healthy. I could really feel that in DC. I don’t know how to describe it, but the physicality of the way I’m moving the balls and the way I’m pushing off. Being able to play like that without feeling like it’s going to hurt my body.

“And that was the positive I can take out of the five-setter at the Open. It was a physical match for five sets, and I didn’t really feel that bad afterwards. I felt like if I had won that match, I for sure could have come back and played the next match no problem.”

Fritz was beaten by Francisco Cerundolo in the third round of the US Open, losing in five sets to the Argentine despite holding a two-set lead.

Discuss: Alexander Zverev will finish his career with _ Grand Slam titles?

He’s just won his second at the US Open!

Taylor Fritz aiming for ATP Finals place ahead of the off-season

Fritz went all the way in Washington DC earlier in the season, with that success representing his sole ATP title in 2026. But he plans on a very strong finish to the campaign, with a spot at the ATP Finals in Turin now on his mind.

Discussing if he’s focused on the end of 2026 or already looking to 2027, he said: “I mean, it’s both. I am really excited for an off-season that I can actually properly train in. I think that’s something I haven’t had in a while.

“At the end of 2023 I tore my oblique, so I didn’t get to have an off-season that year. I was just rehabbing myself the entire off-season. And then 2024 I did world tour finals and Davis Cup, so my off-season was very short. And then last year, rehabbing the knee, I didn’t have much of an off-season at all either. So I’m excited for that.

“But at the same time, I dealt with everything I dealt with earlier in the year, skipped the clay court season, and now I’m feeling pretty healthy and I’m 10 in the race. So I don’t see any reason why I can’t finish strong and grab a top-eight spot and be in Turin. So I think that’s kind of just the goal right now.”

Fritz finds himself 10th in the Race to Turin following the conclusion of the US Open, with the top eight players making the cut. No ranking points are available in his next event, the Laver Cup, but he’ll aim for a strong run in Tokyo at the end of the month.

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