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Taylor Fritz will be in the top 10 of the ATP rankings on Monday for the first time in his career. He revealed that he was elated with the accomplishment and that no one could take it away from him.
The American defeated seventh seed Denis Shapovalov in the semifinals of the 2022 Japan Open, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3.
In his post-match interview, Fritz said that being in the top 10 was a childhood dream of his but added that he wanted to go even higher.
"It means so much, you know. Top 10 is always one of those goals you have as a kid growing up, it's a massive milestone obviously," he said. "I want more, I wanna go even higher but Top 10 is such a huge achievement that you always dream of and I mean no one can ever take that away from me 'I was a Top 10 player'."
"I want to win for me, I'm not trying to achieve anybody else's goals" - Taylor Fritz on reaching the Japan Open final
Taylor Fritz will face compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the final of the 2022 Japan Open on Sunday.
In a press conference after his semifinal, Fritz spoke about his mental attitude and approach to tennis, saying that he was "just having fun" and "enjoying life."
"I want to win for me. I'm not trying to achieve anybody else's goals or [caring] what they think of me. I'm just trying to be the best I can be and enjoy this," he said. "It's been great. The US Open, Laver Cup, to be here now. I'm just having fun with it. I'm confident and I'm just enjoying life, so I'm going to keep doing that."
Fritz also stated that he wasn't bogged down by other people's expectations but just wanted to win tennis matches.
"As far as expectations that I have, so to speak, right now... I don't really feel that way. I just want to win," he said. "I don't really care about what other people think I should be doing because I had recent success. I've been on Tour for seven or eight years now, and none of that really moves me," he added.
