Taylor Fritz is on the charge again at the US Open after beating Lloyd Harris to progress to the third round.
Fritz reached the final at Flushing Meadows 12 months ago before succumbing to Jannik Sinner in his maiden Grand Slam final.
Fritz has played some brilliant tennis at the US Open in the past, but perhaps his best is yet to come at the New York event.
The improvement in Fritz has been evident this year, with the player reaching the latter stages of Wimbledon for the first time in his career.
Fritz was perhaps a little bit too raw to defeat Sinner last year, but if he does get to a final once again, he now has more experience that should help him cope with those occasions.
Given the experiences that the 27-year-old now has on the ATP Tour, Fritz has been quizzed on some of the best shots he’s faced.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesTaylor Fritz picks the three toughest shots he’s ever faced
Fritz weighed in on the Daniil Medvedev incident earlier this week and he’s definitely one of the more outspoken players on the tour.
After setting up a third-round clash with Jerome Kym, Fritz was asked to pick the three best shots he’s ever seen, and the results might surprise.
He said: “I would say Del Potro’s forehand. I never faced him in a match, but in practice and playing, I would say Del Po’s forehand.
“Maybe Federer’s slice. When Fed kept his slice really low, it felt impossible not to just lift the ball up and then he would tee off.
“And then I think it’s fair to say Isner’s serve.”
Fritz needs to make his mark on a Grand Slam soon
Of all the players on the tour who haven’t won a Grand Slam title, it does feel as though Fritz is the one who can be the next first-time winner.
It’s a great time to be following tennis in the United States, with the likes of Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe also starting to perform on a more consistent basis.
It does feel as though Fritz is getting close to winning a big title and perhaps all he needs is a little bit of help from the draw along the way.
In last year’s final at the US Open, he ran into Sinner and in the semifinal at Wimbledon, he came up against Carlos Alcaraz, which made for an impossible task.
All these experiences will put Fritz in good shape, however, and the hope will be that he can finally get over the line and truly put American tennis back on the map in the near future.