(In Pictures) Taylor Fritz Expects Backlash From Unaware Fans After Penning Cryptic Message in Japan

Taylor Fritz to face Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Tokyo Open, just days after their clash at the Laver Cup.

(In Pictures) Taylor Fritz Expects Backlash From Unaware Fans After Penning Cryptic Message in Japan

Taylor Fritz (via X/Jose Morgado/TennisTV)

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Taylor Fritz penned a message on the camera inspired by the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen after reaching the Tokyo Open final. The American star powered his way to his first hard-court final of the season after outplaying his fellow countryman Jenson Brooksby in the semi-finals of the ATP 500 tournament.

Fritz didn’t waste time showing his dominance on the court against Brooksby but had to be patient for the American star to make mistakes. The match began with Brooksby displaying much energy on the court with his pace, sprinting to every corner of his baseline just to force the pressure on Fritz.

But a composed Fritz finally got his moment in the tenth game, while leading 5-4. The World No.5 played a perfect volley to break Brooksby and claim the set. In the second set, he needed a shorter time to break Brooksby, as he did that just in the fourth game, and from there was in the driver’s seat, acing his first match point.

Fritz hit 13 aces and won 85 percent of his serve against Brooksby. It was the 27-year-old’s third win against Brooksby this season. The American star is now fifth in the ATP Live Race To Turin as he aims to secure his place in the tournament. He has also overtaken Novak Djokovic to become the World No.4.

After beating Brooksby, Fritz wrote on the camera, “Nah, I’d win”. The message happens to be an iconic line by the fictional character Gojo from the anime series Jujutsu Kaisen. He has written that same line before, but after signing out with that at the Tokyo Open, he revealed that he will get roasted on social media for it:

Can already see myself about to get roasted by the people that don’t get it.

Fritz is currently ranked World No.4 with 4,995 points to his name, an additional 320 points more than the official points. Thanks to the Tokyo Open, he’s just one pot away from reaching his career-high ranking on tour.

The American dropped to World No.5 after the US Open in New York as he fell to Djokovic in four sets in the quarter-finals of the tournament. He had finished as a runner-up in 2024, which made him have a huge amount of points to defend. But, he failed to do so in the end.

Carlos Alcaraz looks forward to a tough test against Taylor Fritz at the Tokyo Open final

Taylor Fritz will now take on Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo. The duo will be facing each on for the second time in less than a month and for the third time this year. Alcaraz had won their meeting at the Wimbledon Championship, beating the American star in four sets.

Taylor Fritz, Carlos Alcaraz
Taylor Fritz, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

But, most recently at the Laver Cup, Fritz earned his first win against the Spaniard, beating him in straight sets. A head of their fifth tour-level clash, Alcaraz revealed that it will be a new challenge for him when he takes on the World No.5. The World No.1 praised the 27-year-old for his confidence on the court:

I know he has been playing at a great level of tennis lately. In the Laver Cup, he demonstrated it, against Zverev and against me, and he feels very comfortable and with a lot of confidence on this court, with very good victories. I’m going to try to change a couple of things. It is clear that the speed of the court and the atmosphere are very different from San Francisco, but it will be a new challenge for me.

Fritz will be hoping to get the better of Alcaraz at the Tokyo Open final, even though it wouldn’t be an easy task. The American star has shown he can compete with the Spaniard in recent months, but Alcaraz has always shown class with his variety of shots during their clashes. In fact, the Spaniard leads 3-1 in their head-to-head record on tour.

Outside of the Laver Cup, they recently played in the Wimbledon semifinal. Alcaraz won in four sets to reach his third Wimbledon final.