THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

June 30, 2022

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/A. Gray

6-3, 7-6, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Could you give your initial thoughts on today's match.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I think it's never easy playing, like, the wildcard. He's got a good grass game, definitely very awkward to play against. Maybe came out a little bit nervous, but I thought, you know, I played pretty solid the whole time.

I responded well when I was down a break in the second, did a good job fighting off a lot of breakpoints in the first. Yeah, I'm happy to get through in three straight.

THE MODERATOR: Questions?

Q. How would you describe that point that ended the second set? If you have seen any replays since?

TAYLOR FRITZ: First thing I looked at when I got off the court (smiling).

Yeah, that was insane. I mean, it was a huge point, obviously. I hit the backhand line, saw him reaching, obviously he hit a good volley crosscourt. I don't know. I just thought, like, it bounced up a bit, and I thought -- you know, I heard the crowd cheering like the point was over, but I was, like, I think if I fully lay out for this one, I'm pretty long, I was, like, I feel if I just dive at this one and fully lay out, maybe I can get a racquet on it.

So, yeah, just dove and hit my strings like right in the middle. It felt really good, and I was just hoping I didn't hit it long, actually.

Q. Of all the shots you have made in your career, where would this one rank?

TAYLOR FRITZ: That's got to be No. 1, because especially just the moment, as well. It's a huge set point. Really, really big point to do it on, just to go full dive and hit the winner.

Q. One more thing about it. You said when you walked off, you sought out the replay. What did you learn from the replay that maybe you didn't realize in the moment?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Oh, I didn't realize he was already, like, fist pumping (smiling). I saw it on the replay. I thought that was funny.

I didn't realize that he had already thought the point was over. I just thought he hit the volley, and because he was kind of moving that way that he was off the court anyways. He kind of just watched it go past him. I didn't know he actually just fully thought the point was over.

Q. What did you think when you saw that?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It was kind of funny (smiling).

Q. What opportunity did you have last night to see John play Andy? What are your thoughts about what Isner is doing at age 37?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Actually, it's funny. I literally never watch tennis, and I did catch parts of that match. Actually watched a bit of that match.

It's great, you know, both of them still competing at such a high level for so long, and, you know, I'm happy John could get his first win over Andy. I think it was eight or nine tries. He played really well. He played a really solid match from everything I saw.

Q. What does he mean to the American players who followed? What is that camaraderie among the American group right now?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, for the majority of my junior tennis career growing up, he was always the No. 1 American. He's been an incredible role model and just like friend to all of the younger guys coming on.

You know, he's such a nice guy, and he's always welcomed all of us, got along really well with all of us.

Yeah, he's just, I mean, he's been the guy for U.S. tennis for a long time.

Q. Your thoughts on the American progress so far at this tournament?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It's great. I mean, you know, we don't have what everyone's kind of looking for in terms of like the World No. 1 or the Grand Slam champion, but we have so much depth, like so much more depth than I think we have ever had.

We have so many guys seeded in the top 32, so many guys making second, third round. Probably soon we are going to have a lot of guys contending second-week slams, quarterfinals, stuff like that. The good news is the majority of the field is younger. We are only going to keep improving, getting better.

Q. How would you describe the state of your game right now and where it's come from the uncertainty of a year ago?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah. It's been coming along really nicely. Kind of since the end of last year things started working for me.

I feel pretty good about my game right now. I definitely think there are some things I could be doing better, but all in all, I think that the state of my game is in a really good place. I'm hitting my forehand big. My backhand is really solid. I feel like I'm moving pretty well, serving really well.

Yeah, I'm happy, I think, that I'm in a good spot for a big run.

Q. What are those things that you alluded to that you think you could do better?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, grass in general, I think it makes it a little tougher for me to lean in and really rip my forehand like I can on a hard court. The ball stays a little bit lower, comes through a little faster.

I do like a little more time to kind of set up and rip the ball, but can always do more work in the gym to get faster.

I think today at times I played a little bit too safe. I would have liked to be a little bit more aggressive. But coming off of Eastbourne last week, I was doing everything about as good as I could do it.

Q. John had that fantastic match yesterday. You did great, Indian Wells win. Tommy is playing good ball and so forth and so on. We have this incredible depth that you just mentioned. Just talk about, I don't know, what it's going to take to get to that very top, the big breakthrough. Is it just a matter of time? Is it some good luck with draws? Is it just advancing your games? What's going to be the key?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It's definitely just improving, improving our games. Becoming, you know, stronger, better players than we all are.

You know, we are all good inside the top 40, top 30, and any given week we can go really deep in the tournament, but to beat the best players in the world, it's just going to take a little bit more.

Luckily, like I said, we have a lot of depth and everyone is on the younger side. There's still a lot of time for improvement. I look back at just how much I have improved in the past eight months. It's a lot. If I can kind of keep improving at this rate, then I'll get there. The same goes for everybody else, for sure.

Q. If Taylor Fritz, today's player, played you three years ago, what would the result be?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Oh. I'd probably beat myself pretty routinely like 3 and 3, 3 and 4, something like that.