“I decided not to play because I wanted to spend more time with my family,” Novak Djokovic said just before the US Open on his reason behind keeping things Slams-focused in 2025. While it’s indeed a heartwarming gesture that warrants applause, the 24x Grand Slam winner’s adversaries are making the most of the situation. Among others, Taylor Fritz seems to be making dramatic improvements and bridging the gap between himself and the Big 3 legends.

Fritz just trounced fellow American Jenson Brooksby at the Japan Open in straight sets (6-4, 6-3) to advance to the final of the tournament. And with that, he also, in a way, made up for his semifinal loss against the Djoker in New York, albeit the former’s triumph coming off the tennis court. So, how exactly did Taylor Fritz’s latest win, in a tournament that Novak isn’t even competing in, help him out?

As per the latest ATP rankings available via the official website, Fritz can be seen ranked in fourth place with 4,995 live points to his name. That’s an impressive 320 points more than his official points, which we’re sure will catch up soon enough! Thanks to his ongoing Japan Open campaign, the 27-year-old has stepped up by just one spot in the official rankings. And who is the unfortunate soul who had to cede their ground to make sure Fritz’s advancement was reflected on the list for all to see?

Novak Djokovic! With the Serbian staying away from the court for the better part of 2025, his 4,830 official points have now fallen short in the face of Fritz’s to help him hold on to his position. Apart from the Geneva Open, held in May, and where the 38-year-old bagged his 100th tour-level singles title, Novak has mostly kept his eyes on the majors. But while that limited play-time has brought him consistency (Djokovic has made it at least to the quarterfinal stages in all the Slams he participated in this year), it has also now hit him where it hurts: The rankings or rather, below the belt.

Novak’s age is catching up with him. No surprises there. Previously, in 2025, he had also noted that he seemed to be getting less enjoyment out of ATP 1000 tours. “To be quite frank with you, I don’t enjoy the two-week Masters events anymore. It’s just way too long for me,” he confessed. While experts believe that Djokovic’s best chances lie in best-of-three matches, like the Shanghai Masters, the longer format is something he’s evidently struggling with. Fritz, on the other hand, is quietly racking up the points without age being restrictive on his career right now.

Fritz entered almost every possible competition in 2025. Starting off the year with a third-round trip to the Australian Open, then making it to the Round of 16 and exiting both the Dallas Open and the Indian Wells Masters, and more appearances in the Miami Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, and HSBC Championships before defeating Brooksby in the final of the Lexus Eastbourne Open in June. In the following weeks, Taylor reached the semifinal at Wimbledon (lost to Carlos Alcaraz), the same stage at the National Bank Open (lost to Ben Shelton), and wrapped things up with the trip to the Big Apple in early September.

At the ongoing Laver Cup, too, Fritz has won both matches so far. With these in mind, it’s not hard to comprehend how he has outshone Novak in 2025, despite the former’s results not being as consistent as the tennis icon’s. But now, while the off-court must be feeling sweet, the San Diego native could be standing on the edge of yet another career-altering match.

Taylor Fritz could face a familiar foe in Tokyo

At this year’s British Slam, Carlos Alcaraz eliminated Fritz from the competition to advance to the final, where the former eventually lost to Jannik Sinner. But the Japan Open could quite possibly be the stage where the two cross paths yet again. Alcaraz has been in incredible form this year. He arrived in Tokyo as the reigning US Open champion and having avenged his previous loss against Sinner. The World No. 1 is currently battling it out against Norway’s Casper Ruud at the Japan Open, with the latter having one step ahead.

However, knowing Alcaraz, a win coming from behind shouldn’t be off the table at any point. If that happens, Alcaraz will meet the American with vengeance. Why? The two met at the Laver Cup just a couple of weeks after their US Open meeting, and Fritz defeated the 6x Grand Slam winner in straight sets in the group stage to give Team USA an extra boost. Following the win, Fritz confessed that the win over Carlos helped him gain more confidence, and now feels like repeating the feat won’t be too tall a task anymore.

But will Taylor Fritz be able to walk the talk if Alcaraz advances to the Japan Open final? Can the American star establish a bigger gap between himself and Novak Djokovic? What do you reckon?