At the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto, Taylor Fritz, the world’s No. 4 and America’s top-ranked male tennis player, has been a force to be reckoned with, powering his way to the semifinals of the ATP Masters 1000 event. Yet, despite his commanding 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Andrey Rublev on August 5, 2025, Fritz has been vocal about his struggles with the tournament’s playing conditions, describing the combination of lightning-fast courts and unpredictable Wilson U.S. Open balls as producing “really ugly tennis.” His candid remarks shed light on the challenges players have faced at Sobeys Stadium, where unforced errors and double faults have marred matches, testing even the most seasoned competitors.
Fritz’s journey to the semifinals has been a testament to his resilience. Entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed, he kicked off his campaign with a hard-fought 7-5, 7-6(1) win over Roberto Carballes Baena, followed by a straight-sets triumph over Canadian Gabriel Diallo, 6-4, 6-2. His third-round clash against Diallo, a rematch of their five-set Wimbledon thriller earlier in 2025, saw Fritz grappling with the court’s speed. “I’ve been having an incredibly hard time just putting the ball in the court,” he admitted in a post-match press conference. “Typically, when I’m missing shots, I know exactly why I’m missing… The conditions have been really hard to just play good tennis. There’s a lot of ugly tennis. There’s a lot of people double-faulting, a lot of mistakes.”
The root of Fritz’s frustration lies in the unique combination of Toronto’s fast courts and the Wilson U.S. Open balls, which he described as the hardest to control on the ATP Tour. “They’re not bad, it’s just that the balls we’ve been playing with for the last couple of years are softer and more dead,” he explained. “They slow down off the bounce, they hold on your strings longer. You play with these, they shoot off your racquet, they jump off the court faster.” Comparing Toronto’s conditions to those in Washington, D.C., where he recently competed, Fritz noted, “I thought D.C. was pretty fast. This is faster, coming through the court even more. It’s just tough to control.” These conditions, he argued, have led to erratic play across the tournament, with players struggling to maintain consistency.
Fritz’s sentiments were echoed by others, including Australian doubles player Ellen Perez, who called the balls “trash” on social media, pointing to their role in the high number of double faults, including Coco Gauff’s staggering 23 in a single match in Montreal. Despite these challenges, Fritz found his rhythm against Rublev, blasting 20 aces and maintaining control in a tight tiebreak to secure his first-ever Canadian Open semifinal berth. “It was clean,” he said of his performance. “I’m happy with everything.” His ability to adapt was evident as he saved all nine break points against Jiří Lehečka in a grueling 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 7-6(5) fourth-round win, a match he described as feeling more playable than earlier rounds. “Tonight was by far the most playable for me — the most control I felt like I had all week,” he noted.
The 27-year-old Californian, standing at 6’5” with a dominant serve that can reach 149 mph, has leveraged his powerful game to navigate the tricky conditions. His 2025 season has been stellar, with a 35-13 record, two grass-court titles, and a U.S. Open final appearance in 2024. Now, as he eyes his second Masters 1000 crown after Indian Wells 2022, Fritz faces compatriot Ben Shelton in the semifinals on August 7, 2025, a matchup that marks only the fourth time since 2000 that two American men have met at this stage of a Masters 1000 event. “He’s a big-match player,” Shelton said of Fritz, acknowledging his clutch performance and serving prowess.
Fritz’s critiques highlight a broader conversation about the impact of equipment and court surfaces on modern tennis. He suggested that softer Dunlop balls could mitigate the issue, noting, “If we played with the Dunlop ball, it wouldn’t feel unplayable… the softer ball’s going to decelerate more when it hits the court, and it’s going to hold on your racquet a bit more.” As he prepares for his showdown with Shelton, Fritz’s ability to overcome these “ugly” conditions underscores his mental toughness and adaptability, qualities that make him a formidable contender not just in Toronto but in the looming U.S. Open. With top players like Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Jannik Sinner absent, Fritz has a golden opportunity to claim the title and cement his status as a leading light in American tennis.
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