Taylor Fritz has a shocking new look and a pass to Turin
By Lee Vowell
Taylor Fritz the Blonde. Maybe that is how the top-ranked American player should be called now. Of course, blonde is not Fritz's natural color so seeing him with anything else is a bit shocking. Perhaps nothing is more surprising than seeing Fritz as a platinum blonde.
That is what he is currently, though. Fritz is in Paris to play the last Masters 1000 tournament of the season. He told the media he isn't sure how long he will keep the new look, but it likely won't be long. He only dyed his hair to be "funny," and it worked. But win or lose in Paris, Fritz knows he has more tennis to play this year.
That is because he has now qualified for the ATP Finals. He joins Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Daniil Medvedev in doing so. Novak Djokovic is close to qualifying as well, but the Serb has said he isn't sure if he will play at the event. In the future, he wants to focus on playing Grand Slams and in international competitions for Serbia.
Taylor Fritz goes blonde and qualifies for the ATP Finals (but not both at the same time)
The ATP Finals is the most lucrative ATP-level event for those involved. Should a player go through the round-robin stage undefeated and then go on to win the final, that player would earn $4,801,500. The American and all the other players will get $325,500 just for showing up. For each win, a player receives another $390,000.
Fritz has a tough draw, though. He will face either Sinner or Alcaraz, the two best players on the tour currently, in his half. Should he defeat them, he will have an excellent shot at reaching the semifinals. Fritz has only played in one ATP Finals before (2022), and he did reach the semis that year.
No other Americans will likely be involved. Tommy Paul is currently No. 11 in the Race to Turin, but several players would have to drop out of the event for him to have a chance to play.