"Get your f**king sh*t together" - How Taylor Fritz wrote himself a note that turned his career around leading to maiden Slam SF at US Open 2024

Taylor Fritz marked his finest achievement yet at a Major with his 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) win over Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open. Fritz is now set to contest his maiden Grand Slam semifinal. However, there was a time when the World No. 12 criticized himself after losing against the German.

The harsh self-criticism came after Fritz's loss to Zverev at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. The defeat saw the American exit the grasscourt Major in the third round and drop in his ATP Tour ranking.

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Taylor Fritz penned a stinging note to himself following his Wimbledon 2021 3R defeat against Alexander Zverev

Taylor Fritz (Source: Getty)

Taylor Fritz's 2021 Wimbledon participation was a miracle in itself. Weeks before the commencement of the grasscourt Major, the American suffered a meniscus tear in his knee while playing at the French Open. He wasted no time in undergoing surgery, in a bid to return to action at SW19.

Remarkably, he did recover in time for Wimbledon and made his way to the third round after coming out on top against compatriots Brandon Nakashima and Steve Johnson across the first two rounds. In his third-round clash against Alexander Zverev on Saturday, July 3, 2021, the World No. 6 back then, Fritz started brightly and won the first set 7-6(3).

However, the German backed up his top-10 status by producing an impressive display across the second and third sets, winning them 6-4, 6-3 respectively. Fritz, then World No. 40, tried his best to stay in the match in the fourth set, but it was too little, too late as far as the California native was concerned. Zverev won it 7-6(4) and dashed Fritz's hopes of a deep run at Wimbledon.

The loss also culminated in the American dropping out of the top 40 in the ATP Tour rankings. Frustrated, Fritz wrote a self-critical note lambasting himself over being an underachiever despite his belief that his talents and hard work warranted more success. The note was later made public by the American's girlfriend Morgan Riddle, who has established herself as a successful tennis influencer and content creator.

"Nobody in the whole world is underachieving harder than you, you are so f**king good but 40 in the world get your f**king s**t together," Fritz wrote.

However, Fritz would soon move on from the loss and become one of America's biggest stars in contemporary tennis.

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American No. 1 to Indian Wells champion to US Open semifinalist: Taylor Fritz's resurgence after self-criticism

Taylor Fritz posing with the 2022 BNP Paribas Open men's singles title (Source: Getty)

Taylor Fritz's first ATP Masters 1000 semifinal appearance at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells came shortly after his Wimbledon 2021 third-round disappointment. It ended in a loss to Nikoloz Basilashvili, but his newfound momentum wasn't to end there.

Fritz made his way to the 2021 St. Petersburg Open final, losing to Marin Cilic. A Masters 1000 quarterfinal at the Rolex Paris Masters followed, and this series of successes saw Fritz end the year as the World No. 23 and the top-ranked American men's singles player.

The California native's biggest success in his career came close to home as he upset the legendary Rafael Nadal in the final of the 2022 BNP Paribas Open, despite carrying an injury into the match. It was his second ATP Tour-level title. He would also win his third and fourth titles in 2022 at the Eastbourne International and the Japan Open respectively.

Fritz added two more titles to his collection last year, and a further two this season, taking his ATP Tour-level title tally to eight. This time around at the US Open, the World No. 12 looks rock-solid, and his win over the World No. 4 would give him a much-needed boost ahead of his semifinal showdown with fellow home hope Frances Tiafoe.