Taylor Fritz is believed to be one of the biggest American hopes at the US Open this year. The World No.9, who hails from California, is one of the few players from the country in recent times who has actually won a Masters 1000 title virtually in their home town or state. Fritz fulfilled that dream in March 2022, defeating the then top seed, Rafael Nadal in the final of the Indian Wells Masters, 6-3, 7-6. With that win, the American also took back a whopping $1.26 million as prize money earnings, which is the highest for any men’s player in a calendar year alongside the Miami Masters winner.
Many critics, pundits and fans consider that victory as a landmark moment in Taylor Fritz’s career, which has had lots of ups and downs. The United States star beat Rafael Nadal again in the same year at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin in the round-robin match, which demonstrated his talent and potential. In his recent interactions with Haute Living, Fritz got candid about his reaction after beating Nadal as he made his father’s prediction about winning in Indian Wells come true.
A dream come true for Taylor Fritz
Not surprisingly, Taylor Fritz said that he immediately fell to the ground and got completely emotional after realizing that he beat one of the all-time legends of the game on home soil to lift the trophy. He did dream about playing tennis professionally but he admitted that as a child, he saw Rafael Nadal dominate the game in a manner that never made him believe that he could actually play and defeat him someday.
Taylor Fritz’s aim is not just to be the best player in the United States and the world, but also to be considered amongst the GOATs of the game such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and the player who he calls ‘Mr. Perfect’, Roger Federer.
Fritz was quoted as saying in the interview –
“Immediately when I won the match, I fell to the ground. I couldn’t believe it. I kept saying, ‘There’s no way this is real, there’s no way.’ And then, walking back on to the court after I won, I was definitely very emotional. It was the biggest title I had ever won by far, and then also, it was a really special tournament for me because I grew up going to it as a kid, as a spectator, when I was young. My dad, who has been my coach for my entire life, told me that I would win it one day. And then, I was able to not only play but to beat Rafa, someone who I grew up watching dominate tennis. So, I think all of those things together combined to make an experience that I will literally never, never forget, like, ever.
“If you had told me that this would one day happen when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have believed it — this was always such a big goal for me.”
Taylor Fritz also revealed that he is friends with all top American men’s players at the moment such as Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Reilly Opelka. As a result, he spends more time with them than his friends off the court since he believes there are sacrifices he continues to make to achieve the big goals he has set out for himself, since he has set a time frame of 15 years for the same.
Tennis is life
Fritz also opened up on life after deciding to make tennis a profession. Having made the decision to dedicate himself tot he sport, the American clearly rues some aspects of adopting the life of a tennis professional but has stayed firm in his focus. That means traveling for almost the entire year, forgoing the comforts of home and forging friendships with your rivals. But Fritz also said he had held on to a normal life more than other players and seems happier for it.
“I worked really hard for a really long time for this. And, for a really long time, I really have given up a normal life — though I probably held on to [normalcy] longer than most other players did; I stayed in high school until partway through my sophomore year. But from then on, I made the decision that I was going to dedicate everything I had to tennis. Now I’m traveling 10 months out of the year. I don’t get to be home much; I don’t get to hang out with friends a lot. My friends that I’m the closest with are other players traveling with me on the tour, the other American guys [like Reilly Opelka, Tommy Paul, and Frances Tiafoe].”
All this sacrifice and hard work is for glory and a place in the history of the sport. And while Fritz has had a decent career so far, his sight is set far higher. After a disappointing season and a stutter in his steady rise to the cream, the World No. 9 will look to leave an impression at the upcoming US Open. Having lost in the very first round of the Major in 2022, Taylor has nowhere to go but up.
