“It’s been a year” – Japan Open champion Taylor Fritz ecstatic about winning three titles in 2022 across different levels

Taylor Fritz was crowned the 2022 Japan Open champion on Sunday after he overcame his compatriot Frances Tiafoe in straight sets in the final. Fritz has thus continued his stellar season, having won his third title of the year and fourth overall.

The American collected his triad of titles after a drought of almost three years since lifting his first trophy at the 2019 Eastbourne International. His latest title win in Tokyo means that the 24-year-old now has a title across all three ATP formats in 2022.

“It’s been a year” he said celebrating.

Taylor Fritz made a spectacular showing in his home state of California earlier this year as he claimed his first title of the season, a maiden Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, defeating Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the final. In the process, the American also snapped Nadal’s magnificent 20-match winning streak.

His next success came on the grass courts of Eastbourne, where he won his second ATP 250 title at the tournament. Fritz outclassed fellow American Maxime Cressy in a tight three-sets final.

The 24-year-old faced some heart-breaking losses thereafter, notably in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon and the opening round of the US Open. He, however, gained back his lost momentum at the Laver Cup after helping Team World to victory.

His stint in Tokyo gave him his third title of 2022 – an ATP 500 at the Japan Open, thus making him the only player besides Novak Djokovic so far to win a title at all three ATP levels – 250, 500 and 1000. Taylor Fritz’s phenomenal win guarantees him a debut inside the Top-10 in the rankings, come Monday.

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Taylor Fritz wins the Japan Open against all odds

Compatriots Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe played the finals in Tokyo

Taylor Fritz, who was quarantined in Seoul after having an unfortunate run-in with COVID while gearing up to contest the Korea Open last week, said that he wasn’t sure whether he was even going to be able to play the tournament in Tokyo.

“(I) didn't even know if I was going to be able to play this tournament. And if I wasn't able to play, it would have to be after being in a hotel room for seven days, having COVID and then taking a flight in the morning of," Fritz said.

The soon-to-be ranked World No. 8 admitted, therefore, that this victory in adversity was huge for him, giving him the necessary self-confidence.

“Turning a situation like that into a title and doing it when it has such an important impact on the race, it just feels good to kind of clutch up and do something big like this,” he said.

Fritz will now look to make his debut in the ATP Finals. He is currently seventh in the ATP race to Turin, where Top-8 qualified players will contest the Nitto ATP Finals in November.