Is Taylor Fritz the best claycourt men's player the US has produced since Andre Agassi?

Taylor Fritz is singlehandedly giving American men's tennis hope ahead of the French Open.

The 26-year-old is enjoying life on clay, something very few Americans have done in the past. Now, with a semi-final berth secured in Madrid, Fritz has become the first American men's player to make the last four in Madrid since the surface changed to clay in 2012.

Historically, European clay has been a tough nut to crack for American men's players. Despite being blessed with a generation of superstars, American tennis has never dominated the clay courts, especially the French Open.

---

The history of American men's stars on clay courts

Andre Agassi is the last American men's player to win the French Open - can Taylor Fritz emulate him?

Over the years, American men have struggled in their quest to conquer the European clay and win the French Open. The last time an American men's player won the French Open was in 1999 when Andre Agassi defeated Andrei Medvedev to win his first and only Roland Garros title.

Agassi enjoyed playing on the slowish courts, while his other American colleagues struggled. Apart from being the last French Open winner from America, Agassi is also the last American man to win the Italian Open, doing so in 2002.

Before Agassi, Jim Courier was America's hope on clay courts and the former World No. 1 did not disappoint. Courier won back-to-back Roland Garros titles in 1991 and 1992 to become the first-ever American men's French Open winner in the Open Era.

However apart from Courier and Agassi, the American men have nothing to show as success on the clay courts in Paris.

Tennis superstars like Pete Sampras, who won 14 Grand Slam titles throughout his career, could not crack the clay code. He hung up his boots without a French Open trophy in his cabinet. Similarly, Andy Roddick struggled on the slow clay surface and was never a serious contender for the French Open title.

However, Taylor Fritz has the potential to change this underwhelming American history at the French Open. He relishes a battle on clay and has shown constant improvements on the surface over the last couple of years.

---

Taylor Fritz's recent form on clay

Taylor Fritz is enjoying his career-best form on clay in 2024. The American star put down the marker at the Munich ATP 250, where he reached the final. Fritz eventually lost to Jan-Lennard Struff in the final, but this was his best performance on clay for a while.

Since then, he has made it to the semi-final of the Madrid Open for the first time in his career. Taylor Fritz's improvement in results is no fluke as he has shown constant progress on clay surfaces in the last two years.

Fritz had his worst record on clay compared to other surfaces until 2022, but an upturn in form in 2023 and 2024 has seen him improve his numbers on European clay courts. The American now has a win percentage of 59.17% on clay, which is a drastic improvement compared to around 50% in 2022.

Talking to the media during his Madrid Open run, Fritz admitted that he has improved his game on clay by adding more variety to his overall play. The American has used drop-shots to his advantage on the slow clay courts, which has yielded good results.

Fritz further claimed that he has found the game that suits him on clay and wants to continue his good form.

"I think there's more variety in my game in general. I was drop-shotting, I was moon-balling, I was doing a bit of everything. I feel like I’m almost playing a different way on clay every year… it’s kind of just finding out what stuff works for you," Taylor Fritz said.

Along with his improved drop-shots, Fritz has also added a big serve and a frightening forehand to his arsenal. These are important aspects of the game that have helped him dominate on clay courts.

With the French Open 2024 on the horizon, Fritz will hope to continue his good form into the tournament. Roland Garros is set to be one of the most unpredictable ones in recent history, with all the favourites struggling with problems of their own.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have both endured injuries during their Madrid Open run, while Rafael Nadal's form is hard to call. Novak Djokovic is fit and raring to do, but with no trophies won this season, it is hard to predict his physical fitness ahead of Roland Garros.

Hence, the stage looks set for a new men's singles champion in Paris and the American fans will hope it's Taylor Fritz. He is the top-ranked American man and has form on his side, but it will take a special effort to win the French Open and finally extend the legacy left by Andre Agassi.