Former American player John Isner reckons Taylor Fritz needs to work on how he deals with drop shots to savour more success on the tour. Fritz recently lost the Stuttgart Open final against compatriot Ben Shelton in three sets on Sunday.
Fritz is yet to win his maiden trophy in the ongoing season and quickly needs to turn a corner to hold his top-10 ranking. Former American players John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Steve Johnson have identified Fritz’s Achilles Heel on the tour.
Querrey recalled that Nishesh Basavareddy had stunned Fritz in the first round of Roland Garros and had used a lot of drop shots against his countryman.
During the latest episode of ‘Nothing Major‘, Querrey asked the following question.
“I caught the whole third set of the [Taylor] Fritz final and all the highlights. [Ben] Shelton played a ton of drop shots against Fritz,” said Querrey.
“I remember at Roland Garros, [Nishesh] Basavareddy played a ton of drop shots against Fritz.
“Is that something that he needs to address?”
Former World No.21 Steve Johnson concurred with Sam Querrey on the same.
“Yes. It does not help that it’s the two hardest surfaces (clay and grass) to get up there and feel comfortable while you’re moving,” he said.
“A lot of the time, you can see Fritz not get a confident first step to get up to those drop shots against Shelton.
“It’s a play, and it’s out there. People will now be using it more against him. And for him, I think you have to find a way early in a match to win a couple of them.
“Maybe get closer to the baseline, even if it’s uncomfortable for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the match; stand close on return. Because if they do it early and it doesn’t work, you are going to go away from it.
Meanwhile, John Isner isn’t so sure that Fritz might not be able to find a quick fix for the problem.
“I don’t know. Nobody has ever said Taylor Fritz has the best hands in the world, so when that drop shot is thrown in there, he does not have the ability to re-drop,” he said.
“A lot of players have that ability. Taylor has one play, and that is that he shovels it up the line and then he’s at the net, and he’s not the best volleyer.
“It’s a very good play for him. It’s something he needs to work on, but I don’t think it’s something he can nip in the bud like that.
“It’s just not so natural for him to move up and then play a quick volley.
“He can be lobbed, and a lot of players can do so much if they hit a successful drop shot.”
Fritz would aim to bounce back stronger and sort his kryptonite.
