Taylor Fritz is into his first final of the year, having yet to drop a set at the BOSS Open.
The American’s year has been disappointing thus far, but this, his first grass event of the season, has the chance to change that.
However, he will face great opposition, as hometown favourite Alexander Zverev stands between him and the trophy.
He spoke following his routine victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime earlier today, and admitted that despite thriving on the Stuttgart courts, one thing does worry him.
Taylor Fritz reveals what scares him after reaching Stuttgart Open final
Chatting to the press in his post-match interview, the 27-year-old was asked about his troublesome clay-court campaign and how it now feels to be back on the grass.
Unsurprisingly, he was grateful to return to this surface, despite noting an aspect that scares him at times.
He admitted: ’I feel really good. I had problems on clay, I felt very slow. On the one hand, I was coming back from an injury, and on the other hand, I just didn’t have enough practice on clay.
‘Normally, I start the season earlier there. I thought to myself that I wasn’t actually playing that badly, but I wasn’t performing well at all on the big points. I did better this week. I played the big points well and mastered a few tight situations.
‘I prefer it when it’s hot like this rather than cool and damp. The grass gets slippery very quickly and it becomes more difficult to move around well. To be honest, I sometimes even get a little scared. When it’s this hot, I can move better. It’s not humid either, just dry heat.’
How has Taylor Fritz performed in 2025?
After a really impressive 2024, in which Taylor Fritz reached a career-high ranking of fourth, it’s fair to say that this year has not quite lived up to expectations.
Losing in the third round of the Australian Open admittedly marked a poor start, especially when followed by early exits in Dallas and Delray Beach.
Miami Open threatened the start of a brief resurgence, reaching the semi-finals. Frustratingly, it also was the final event before the clay-court season.
Fritz failed to perform in Madrid, Rome and Geneva, culminating in a hugely underwhelming first-round defeat at Roland Garros.
2025 has not been kind to the top-ranking American, but this run to the final, his first of the year, could prove to be the catalyst that reignites his challenging campaign.
And yet, despite these struggles, Fritz and Ben Shelton both think the current state of American tennis is positive.