Taylor Fritz is already massive winner even before must-see Australian Open match

Posted by Admin January 17, 2025 Tennis

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Taylor Fritz has consistently played the best tennis of any other American of his generation. Tommy Paul has had some success, and so has Frances Tiafoe. Neither has had the run of sustained success that Fritz has had, though. This is continuing through the first two rounds of the 2025 Australian Open.

The American is through to the third round after dropping a total of only eight games in the first two rounds. He is playing well enough to potentially make a deep run in Melbourne. This should not come as a shock, however. Fritz ended 2024 playing some of the best tennis of his career as he reached the final of the US Open and the ATP Finals, each time losing to top-seed Jannik Sinner.

Fritz might have done something even better at the Australian Open than playing his sport. He announced that his first round winnings of nearly $83,000 will be donated to help wildfire relief funds in the Los Angeles area. The fires have taken the lives of at least 25 people, and the financial impact will be something that will be felt for years.

Fritz is a California native, and lived in Los Angeles for many years. He told the media, “It’s really the least I can do. Southern California is my home and L.A. was my home for a very long time. So I’m just doing what I can possibly do to help.”

Next up for Fritz is a match that should be seen by any tennis fan. While Fritz is not normally overly emotional on the court, he does play a fairly entertaining brand of tennis with a big serve and powerful forehand. While not exactly a showman, he does tend to give off the vibe of being a decent and nice person and someone people would want to root for.

On the other side of the net from him in the third round, though, is Gael Monfils. Monfils is one of the best showmen in the history of the sport and is fun to watch no matter when, where, or who he is playing. He also is playing at an extremely high level currently even though he is closer to the end of his career than the beginning.

He won the ASB Classic to begin the year, becoming the oldest man to ever win an ATP tour tournament. The Frenchman is 38 years old. He is also the fourth-oldest man to reach the third round of the Australian Open since 1988. Whoever takes the match, many tennis fans will be hoping the winner makes a deep run at the tournament.