Taylor Fritz is fighting for us live to pick up enough ranking points to qualify for the ATP Finals at the end of the season.
The American is through to the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters, where he will play Carlos Alcaraz for a place in the final four of the Masters tournament.
Fritz needs to reach the semifinals at least to give himself a chance of qualifying for the ATP Finals, although that would not guarantee his place in the top nine before the end of the season.
The American is battling it out with Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, and Rafael Jodar for the remaining two places, with the Paris Masters the last chance until the cut-off.
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That makes Fritz’s decision to enter the Stockholm Open even more baffling, which he has just been confirmed to play beginning on the 8th November.
The Stockholm Open ranking points does not count towards ATP Finals qualification, so it makes little sense why Fritz would want to play the tournament whether he qualifies for the year-end tournament or not.
If he does qualify for the ATP Finals, the tournament will likely be a hindrance rather than good preparation for the Turin tournament.
If Fritz ends up outside of the top nine before the ATP Finals, which would happen if he is defeated by Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, then he will surely want to end his season early.
The 250 ranking points offered at the Stockholm Open will count towards next year’s total, but the extra weeks rest in the off-season will surely be more beneficial for Fritz.
The American has struggled with injuries throughout the season and even looked worse for wear in his Paris Masters match against Benjamin Bonzi in round two.
Fritz lost the first set against the Frenchman, before calling for the physio on what looked like a shoulder injury, before battling back to win the match.
It would be borderline lunacy for Fritz to extend his season for the Stockholm Open when he doesn’t have to and it is very surprising to see the star on the entry list for the ATP 500 tournament.
The only reason he might have decided to play is so he can stick around in Europe in case he is an alternate for the ATP Finals, but it is not like he needs the match practice.
The American has played five tournaments since the start of October, at the Japan Open, the Shanghai Masters, the Lyon Open, the Swiss Indoors and the Paris Masters.
