'I can move better': Taylor Fritz's resurgence lands him in Stuttgart final showdown

The world No. 7 Taylor Fritz has reached his first final of the season at the Stuttgart Open, after defeating Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. The American No. 1 will be looking for his first title since Eastbourne International 2024.

Of Fritz's 8 career titles, three have been on grass courts, all at Eastbourne (2019, 2022, 2024). This time in Stuttgart, he aims to reaffirm his status as one of the best on the surface. He will face Alexander Zverev in the final, who earlier eliminated fellow American Ben Shelton in the semifinals.

Fritz has primarily excelled on hard courts throughout his career, although three grass titles is a significant number, especially considering that top players, who prioritize Wimbledon, typically only have room to play two or three grass tournaments.

The 27-year-old has put a rocky clay-court swing behind him, where he won only one of his last five matches on slow surfaces, including a first-round loss at Roland Garros (where he was the 4th seed). However, everything seems to have turned around since his arrival in Stuttgart. "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," the former US Open finalist added.

"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."

Fritz will seek the 9th title of his career against world No. 3 Alexander Zverev. This is a growing rivalry between two players who have remained in the top 10 for several seasons now. Fritz leads the head-to-head 7-5, including their last encounter on grass courts in the Round of 16 at Wimbledon 2024, a tight five-set victory.