NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Taylor Fritz got choked up when it hit him that .
His explanation: 鈥淚 cry at happy endings of movies and not at sad stuff. That鈥檚 kind of just how I am.鈥�
Imagine what the 26-year-old Californian's reaction would be if he actually were to take home the trophy by beating of Italy on Sunday in . That would make Fritz the first American man to collect a Grand Slam title in 21 years.
鈥淚 have a feeling I鈥檓 going to come out and play really well and win,鈥� the 12th-seeded Fritz said Friday night after coming back to get past another American, Frances Tiafoe, in five sets to reach a major final for the first time. 鈥淲hen I play good tennis, I think that level is good enough to win.鈥�
How big a deal is it that Fritz will even be competing at Flushing Meadows on the last weekend of the tournament?
The last time a U.S. man played in any major final was in 2009, when Andy Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon. The last time a U.S. man played in the U.S. Open final was 2006, when Roddick couldn't get past 鈥� yes, of course 鈥� Federer. The last time a U.S. man did manage to win a Slam was in 2003, when Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero.
鈥淚 would love nothing more," Roddick said on his podcast, "than for an American to win on Sunday. ... I get this anxious feeling every time they have to answer for it.鈥�
It is, indeed, quite a drought for through the decades.
A son of two ex-pros 鈥� his mother, Kathy May, was ranked in the top 10 and reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open and the French Open 鈥� Fritz first picked up a racket at age 2. Tiafoe, a good friend who's known Fritz since they were 12 or 13, said the changes since that are remarkable.
鈥淲hen I first met him, Taylor was an odd cat, different cat. I mean, I definitely wasn鈥檛 thinking he was going to do what he鈥檚 done,鈥� Tiafoe said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 changed his body unbelievably. He's just really talented. He was a part-time player; he played couple times of week; had a court at his house. He鈥檒l tell you, he went to a normal high school. He was just a normal kid, while we鈥檙e out there grinding. Then he started putting more time into it.鈥�
Armed with a terrific serve and forehand, and working to improve other aspects of his game, Fritz said he likes the matchup against Sinner. They've split two previous meetings.
鈥淚 feel like I always hit the ball really nice off of his ball,鈥� Fritz said. 鈥淚 typically play well against him.鈥�
Fritz has been the top male tennis player from the U.S. for a bit, getting as high as No. 5 in the rankings last year. But he hadn't been able to get past the quarterfinals at a major until now.
鈥淪ometimes you come into tournaments and you鈥檙e, 鈥極h, quarterfinals is a great result,鈥� which it is, but at the end of the day,鈥� said Fritz coach, Michael Russell, 鈥測ou show up at tournaments to win tournaments. Easier said than done.鈥�
In this instance, Sinner is a substantial favorite 鈥� he is listed at -350 money-line odds, according to 鈥� on account of his ranking, his Australian Open championship in January and his 34-2 record on hard courts in 2024 (Fritz is 19-7). Sinner's on-court performance does not appear to have been affected much by having less than a week before the U.S. Open began; he was cleared after it was determined his two positive tests for an anabolic steroid resulted from unintentional exposure to the banned substance.
鈥淗e's so consistent. His intensity. His ball speed. He鈥檚 barely got any weaknesses,鈥� No. 25 Jack Draper said about Sinner after losing to him in the semifinals. 鈥淎nd he鈥檚 just able to be there, point by point, and raise his level when he needs to.鈥�
Pressed by a reporter to name something 鈥� anything 鈥� about Sinner that's flawed, Draper joked: 鈥淲hat鈥檚 one weakness? He doesn鈥檛 have many, mate. One? Don鈥檛 know. Maybe he鈥檚 too nice.鈥�
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Howard Fendrich has been the AP鈥檚 tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here:
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AP tennis:
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
