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U.S. OPEN

August 29, 2018

Taylor Fritz

New York, NY, USA

T. FRITZ/J. Kubler

6-3, 3-6, 6-3 (ret.)

An interview with:

TAYLOR FRITZ

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Your first third round now at a major in singles. How elated are you now that you've gotten to this point?
TAYLOR FRITZ: Not as happy as I would be if I, you know, finished the match and won it without my opponent retiring. I mean, I hope he feels better. I saw it. After I came in, I saw the video of what happened. It looked really bad.

You know, it's not the way that you want to be in the third round, but I do feel like I have worked really hard and I deserve it. So I am happy to be moving forward and excited for my next match.

Q. Your next match is against one of the top seeds here. Is that sort of what you live for, in a way? Do you live to play a match like that at your Open slam?
TAYLOR FRITZ: As a young guy, definitely looking to compete against the best players in the world and kind of earn my spot and show people that I can compete with those type of players. You know, I played Dominic last year and we had a really close match. I had triple set point to take it to a fifth, so I'm a much better player than I was last year, so I'm excited for this match.

Q. To what degree, through your childhood, right up until now, have you watched when the Williams sisters have played one another? What stands out most of your memories for that?
TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, to be honest, I haven't really watched a lot of tennis in general, growing up (smiling).

I watched, I mean, the most recent time they played. I think it's really amazing how they compete against each other, I guess, like how they kind of set being sisters aside and how they're able to just compete, I guess. I don't know how to really describe it, but the way, I mean, it shows what great competitors they both are to kind of just show up like it's any other match, I guess.

But, yeah, I just started watching tennis more as I became a pro.

Q. Did the heat have any impact on the way you played? Does it affect your approach or your game plan at all?
TAYLOR FRITZ: It's hot out there, you know. It's really hot out there.

But I have done a lot of work, and I feel like fitness is definitely one of the stronger parts of my game and what I bring to the court. So I love the heat and I love playing in it.

You know, sometimes when it really gets to you and you start getting a little tired or winded, you can't really generate as much. You can't put as much into the ball, which is tough for my game because I'm such an aggressive player. I need to be attacking, attacking, and sometimes when you get tired, I have to start taking a little bit off the ball.

But, you know, I had a bit of a lull in the second set where I started getting a bit tired. But as soon as we came out for the third set, I felt really good, and I felt like if the match continued, I could maintain that for the, you know, however many sets I needed it to be.

Q. What do you take away from your match against Dominic last year that you might try to implement on Friday?
TAYLOR FRITZ: I felt like I was right there. I mean, I just lost so many big points. I want to say I was, like, 2- or 3-for-17 on break points or something like that. Someone could pull up the stat, but it was not good.

I realize he's a guy that's not going to just give you break points, like some of the guys that you find in challengers and some of the guys that aren't, you know, I mean, top 20, top 10 in the world. He's just not going to give you anything. You have to earn your breaks and you have to earn the big points, because that's when they play their best tennis. I take that out of it.

I still know I was 2- or 3-for-17 on break points and I was points away from forcing a fifth set after being down two sets. I know I'm right there.

Q. Did you not watch so much tennis growing up because there was so much tennis with your family?
TAYLOR FRITZ: Probably. I had so much tennis going on, and I honestly wasn't -- like, I didn't really love tennis when I was young. I played so many other sports, and I was just interested in a lot of other sports and different things. I just never really, like -- that's a good way to put it. There was just so much tennis going on around me. I didn't watch it. I started watching a lot more when I became a pro just because I became more into it. I definitely fell in love with the game.

Q. (Question about the heat.)
TAYLOR FRITZ: The heat and not playing?

Q. (Indiscernible question.)
TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, of course. It's part of what we train for. I think that playing in this heat shows who's fit and who's not fit. I think it's really part -- I think fitness is part of the sport and playing five sets is one of the ultimate tests in sports in my opinion for how fit you are.

So I think we should be playing, but, you know, they have already made some changes, like the break in between the third and the fourth and stuff like that, to make it easier.

You know, I think I have no problem with it, and I think players should be playing, but it is very tough. I'm not going to lie, it is very tough.

Q. (Indiscernible question.)
TAYLOR FRITZ: I think the players that trust their fitness would.

Q. You said you were a better player now than you were last year. Can you just elaborate on why you think that?
TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, I'm a young guy, so obviously I'm improving a lot in these last couple of years. And these next couple of years, I'm going to be improving a lot. I don't know. I'm definitely bigger and stronger fitness-wise. I'm definitely in a better place than I was last year with my gym work. And I think my backhand is better. I think everything's better, to be honest. My volleys are a lot better. I think I move better.

You know, as a young guy, I have definitely grown as a player in all parts of my game. So, you know, I have been improving and working hard.

Q. What were the other sports, Taylor? Are you a fan of any of the teams in Southern California?
TAYLOR FRITZ: Okay, yeah. I played -- let's see. I played soccer, I played baseball, basketball, I played lacrosse, I played football. I think that's it. That's it, yeah.

Q. Are you a big fan of any of the teams?
TAYLOR FRITZ: I'm a really big Chargers fan. I'm a Dodgers fan, but I don't watch as much baseball. I'm really a big Chargers fan, only time I set time out of my day to watch is football.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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