"I'm a lot better of a player, and these super-human players - Djokovic, Nadal, Federer & Murray - aren't in the draw" - Taylor Fritz on why he is consistently making deep runs at big events 

Taylor Fritz believes the absence of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray is part of the reason he can make deep runs at big tournaments.

Fritz entered the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters with a 6-7(4), 6-2, 7-5 win over Andrey Rublev on Thursday.

The 24-year-old has now made the last eight (as a minimum) in four big tournaments this year, with the others being Wimbledon, Indian Wells Masters, and the Monte Carlo Masters.

Speaking to the media after his win over Rublev, the American highlighted his improvement as a player as another reason behind his consistent displays.

"I mean, it's a couple of different things," Taylor Fritz said. "You know, I have grown a lot as a player. I'm actually a much better player than I was before."

The American explained how he would often be thwarted in the early rounds by Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray a few years ago.

"I think it also helps that there is not these roadblocks in the way, like when I was, you know, 18, 19, 20, when you win two matches at a Masters and you are unseeded and you are pretty much guaranteed to play Roger, Rafa, Andy, Novak, and they are pretty much unbeatable at the time (smiling)," Taylor Fritz said.

"So I think it makes it a little bit easier that, like I said, a combination of I'm a lot better of a player and these super-human players aren't in the draw (smiling)," he continued.

It is pertinent to note that Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray were both part of the draw at this year's Cincinnati Masters but were both knocked out early.

While Nadal has dominated on tour this year with three big titles, including two Slams, Murray has been on the decline in recent years. Novak Djokovic has missed a few key tournaments this year due to his unvaccinated status.

Roger Federer, on the other hand, has not played tennis in over a year due to his persistent knee issues.

"Guys like Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, and Daniil Medvedev seem more beatable to me than the guys that I idolized growing up" - Taylor Fritz

Taylor Fritz at the Western & Southern Open

During the press conference, Taylor Fritz was asked if draws without the Big 3 and Murray made him feel better about his chances. He explained how the draws "seem more open" in their absence, even if they do not translate to straightforward paths to later stages.

"Yeah, I mean, the thing is maybe they are not more open," Taylor Fritz said. "They just seem more open to me because those guys at their peak were so, so good."

The 24-year-old is currently ranked No. 13 in the world but was mostly placed out of the top 30 in 2018 and before. As such, the American was not seeded in most of the big tournaments.

Speaking to the media, he explained how being unseeded would invariably place one of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray in his path.

"Just the way it worked was I wasn't, you know, I wasn't seeded before, I didn't have the ranking, so you're kind of just guaranteed you're going to run into one of those guys at some point," said the American. "It definitely makes a difference."

Fritz believes beating players of his age group such as Andrey Rublev, Alexander Zverev, and Daniil Medvedev is easier than beating the likes of Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic. He reckons this could be due to a mental block.

"There are still so many amazing players, so maybe it's just because I kind of grew up with them and I have known some of these guys for a long time like Rublev, like Zverev, like Medvedev, maybe they just seem more beatable to me than the guys that I idolized growing up," Taylor Fritz said. "You know what I mean? It's a mental thing maybe."