Here’s Why Fritz Is Having The Best Season Of His Career

Taylor Fritz has powered his way to a career-high ATP Ranking of No. 25 by winning just 27 more points than he has lost this season. Tiny margins are producing career-defining results for the 21-year-old American.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Fritz’s impressive run up the ATP Rankings the past four months, from No. 65 on 15 April to No. 25, shows that the young American is benefitting from a busy tournament schedule.

He has played 32 tournaments in the past 52 weeks and forged an impressive 26-20 record in 2019. He won his first ATP Tour title in Eastbourne in June and also enjoyed runner-up honours in Atlanta and Los Cabos.

Fritz has won 36 matches in the past 52 weeks, which is good for 12th best on Tour. Since the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters in April, Fritz has lost in the opening round just three times and racked up four wins against Top 25 opponents.

In 2019, including last week’s first-round loss at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, Fritz has won amazingly just 27 points more points than he has lost.

Taylor Fritz: Points Won In 2019 Season
Points Won = 3423
Points Lost = 3396
Total Points Played = 6819
Win Percentage = 50.2%

It’s the serving side of the equation that has been driving the ambitious American up the rankings the most.

Taylor Fritz: 2019 Tour Ranking / Serve Metrics
No. 8 = Aces (422)
No. 10 = First-Serve Points Won (76.78%)
No. 12 = Service Games Won (84.96%)
No. 36 = Second-Serve Points Won (51.64%)
No. 38 = Break Points Saved (61.90%)

He has been particularly efficient serving in the important moments in a match, holding serve 18 out of 19 times (95%) when serving for the set this season. There are six point scores in his service games in 2019 that, when he reaches them, he goes onto hold more than 90 per cent of the time.

Taylor Fritz: 2019 Season Holding Serve From:
40/0 = 99.4% (155/156)
40/15 = 98.1% (211/215)
30/0 = 97.4% (228/234)
30/15 = 92.3% (228/247)
15/0 = 92.0% (322/350)
40/30 = 92.0% (174/189)

Fritz’s climb up the rankings also shows no sign of slowing down the remainder of this season, as he has only 22 per cent (340/1580) of his points to defend until the end of the year.

Taylor Fritz : Points To Defend in 2019
US Open = 90
Shanghai = 70
Basel = 90
Chengdu = 90
TOTAL = 340

Fritz is one of nine Americans in the Top 100, and one of three 21-year-olds from the U.S., along with Frances Tiafoe (No. 42) and Reilly Opelka (No. 43), inside the Top 50. The current North American hard-court swing provides all of them a chance to shine right in their own backyard.