By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday, November 18, 2022
Taylor Fritz has reached three semifinals in 2022 – at Indian Wells, Eastbourne and Tokyo – and each time he has plowed through the weekend to win the title.
It’s a strange streak that the American talked about on Thursday in Turin after he edged Felix Auger-Aliassime to qualify for the semis.
What did he say? He doesn’t want to think about it. Probably a good idea, given that he will face the toughest test in tennis on Saturday when he meets Novak Djokovic in the semifinals at Turin.
“I didn't know that until the last tournament. I'm just going to continue not really thinking about it,” he said “For me, that is probably the most impressive stat because the difference in points to winning a tournament, losing the semifinals is massive. One of the only reasons why I'm ranked where I'm ranked is because every time I've gone to the semis, I've been able to win the tournament. It's been a big part of my year.”
It has been a truly impressive season for the 24-year-old American, whether he wins or loses on Saturday.
The California native started the year at 23 in the rankings and has made his way into the Top-10 for the first time on the strength of his three titles and 45 victories in 2022.
Fritz has gone 6-6 against the Top-10 (he was 9-22 prior to this season), and earned his biggest career win in Turin when he defeated Rafael Nadal earlier this week.
He’s looking forward for the chance to notch another good win against Djokovic, who currently owns a 5-0 lifetime record against Fritz.
“It's a great opportunity,” he said. “I look forward to playing Novak. Obviously he's one of the best if not the best. He's done pretty well here in the past. I'm super excited for the opportunity.”