Frances Tiafoe played a superb match against Taylor Fritz at the 2024 US Open, but Fritz stayed committed and fought for every point, ultimately winning the match.
Fritz has been a consistent tennis player for many years, but he didn't have too many trophies to show off. He won the Indian Wells Open a few years ago, which is by far the biggest trophy he's ever won in his tennis career, but he wanted more.
He wanted Grand Slam success, which unfortunately eluded him so far. He never made it past the quarter-finals before this year's US Open, where he not only made the semi-finals for the first time in his life but also the final of a Grand Slam event.
To get there, Fritz had to overcome a fellow American with whom he grew up on the ATP Tour. It was Tiafoe, whose biggest dream was to win the US Open on a court that had huge meaning for him and many other tennis players.
Tiafoe was playing some of the best tennis he'd ever played, and after three sets, the American was up 2-1. He was only one set away from reaching the final and getting another step closer to his dream.
Unfortunately for him, he won't get a chance to fight for the title because Fritz was able to win the fourth set and then the fifth as well. Part of that was Tiafoe starting to struggle physically.
He experienced cramping in that fourth set, and his body never recovered after that. Being severely hampered physically made all the difference.
At times, it was very overwhelming for Fritz, who struggled against his opponent's play. He didn't hide the fact after the win, admitting in the post-match media availability that Tiafoe was too overwhelming from the baseline. The only thing Fritz kept telling himself was to stick in there and fight for every point.
"He (Tiafoe) was overwhelming from the baseline so much. He was taking the ball so early, changing lines so well, and it was just really overwhelming and I just tried to tell myself to stay in it and fight."
It was the right move, even though Tiafoe's level only dropped because he started to struggle physically. It didn't matter too much for Fritz because the most important part was winning the match, which he was able to do.
Being motivated to fight for the match was hugely important to him because he knew that if he didn't, he would regret it for a very long time. Challenges like the one he had this year don't come often, so when it did, he made sure to give it his all.
"I told myself that if I didn't give it absolutely everything I had -- to just stick with it and see if his level might drop a little bit -- then I was going to regret it for a long time."
Fritz was able to win that match, and now he will have a chance to win the US Open. He will face Jannik Sinner on Sunday, September 8th, for the title.
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