Taylor Fritz aims for Top 10 with improved forehand

WATCH: Taylor Fritz speaks with Tennis Channel following his 2022 Indian Wells second-round win.

Taylor Fritz wants a Top 10 ranking, and he says that an amped-up forehand can get him there.

The 24-year-old American, currently No. 20, was a career-high No. 16 just a few weeks ago. He's surged in the rankings since reaching the semifinals of the rescheduled 2021 BNP Paribas Open in October, and is now back playing what he considers his hometown event.

"I think just my level as a player has gone up. I think I've gone up several levels," said Fritz, following his opening win at Indian Wells. "So, yeah, I expect a lot more of myself. Back then, I think I was ranked about almost 40 six months ago... and now I'm in between 15 and 20 [in the rankings]."

This season, he's reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and has an 8-4 record. Fritz points to a particular aspect of his game to explain his recent success.

''It's a combination of a lot of different things I've been improving, for sure," he said. "But what's kind of tying it all together and really making the difference is just the forehand. That's become so much more of a weapon, I hit so many more winners on it than I used to. It's just something I really kind of needed in my game. It sets up a lot of points, it wins me a lot of big points. So, yeah, just kind of having that clicking has been really important for me."

Fritz has also shuffled his coaching team, adding former ATP player Michael Russell as a traveling coach, though he is still working with Paul Annacone and David Nainkin for training sessions.

But he's found help even from a younger version of himself, saying, ''Honestly, I think I would always have this joke, that I hit my forehand better when I was younger, when I was 17 or 18. And actually just went back and like watched some videos of me hitting it back then and kind of started like visualizing that, and then it just started like clicking in matches."

Next up, he plays Jaume Munar in the third round.