CITI OPEN

August 3, 2022

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/A. Popyrin

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: A great win for you in your first match after Wimbledon. How did you feel on court today? What worked out for you?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I felt pretty good. I played a pretty solid match. You know, there are some things that I could do better, but after, you know, kind of being in a boot for a couple of weeks, not playing too much, then kind of starting up again last week, and also coming in the tournament not really sure how my foot was going to feel, like I have to be really happy with how it felt and how I played. Considering the preparation leading in, I felt it was a really solid match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. With Rafa and Novak out, do you feel like you can win the US Open Series?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Are they out?

Q. For much of the next few tournaments, I believe. Novak can't play in the U.S. and Rafa is dealing with an injury.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Oh, you're talking about the series. Oh, I'm honestly not even really thinking about the series. The things that I'm kind of focused on right now are top 10. That's just one good result away. Then putting myself in a good position in the race, because I'm 9 in the race.

So I'm not really thinking too much about the US Open Series. I'm just trying to get some good results in any of these tournaments. You know, if Rafa, Novak are not in, and, you know, I'm playing well, then I'm definitely a contender to win the US Open Series, but, yeah, I'm not really thinking about that as much as the year-end Finals and being top 10.

Q. What were some of the last couple of weeks like for you? Obviously coming so close against Rafa, how were you able to compartmentalize that ahead of today's match?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It wasn't even so much about the result in Wimbledon or the match. It was coming back and kind of just learning about the situation with my foot that I thought had healed, for them to turn around and say that I actually have a stress fracture in the foot.

So it wasn't so much about after the match with Rafa or anything. It was more just like trying to figure out when I can come back and play, when I can start training again. You know, it was tough just kind of being in a boot for a couple of weeks and then making the decision to come here.

But I'm really happy that I'm here, and I feel good and I just played a solid match.

Q. I'm wondering, with the foot, have you learned or adjusted to play through it? Because it was an issue weeks ago.

TAYLOR FRITZ: So, I mean, the history of it is I felt it really for the first time in Monte-Carlo. It hurt a little bit, but it wasn't that bad. I felt like I could play through it, for sure. I kind of thought it was one of those things that would just like go away.

After Monte-Carlo, week back, training week on hard court, felt like it hurt like a good amount. Then went to Madrid, and then it was like really hurting. That's when I finally got it scanned and figured out, you know, thought I figured out what was wrong with it. They said it was close to getting a stress fracture.

But now when we go back, it was definitely a misread. I had a stress fracture at that time, for sure.

Took a couple weeks off, took most of the clay court season off. Showed up for French Open, and since French Open through the grass court swing I didn't really have pain in the foot at all.

So I wouldn't even say I was playing through it. I just didn't really feel it. It was a surprise to me when I got the scan, again when I got home after Wimbledon, and it showed the actual crack. Then even now took some more time off, let it heal some more. Playing again, I'm not really feeling it at all, to be honest. If it hurt, if I had a stress fracture and it hurt, I wouldn't be playing.

Q. Is that reassuring? It's one match, but to get through today, given it's in the back of your mind, I feel like it's almost ignorance would be better.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, absolutely. Because I played that five-setter with Rafa and I didn't think about it once. Felt great.

I think coming here the first day or two, it was a bit -- it was on my mind definitely when I was practicing, because we were ramping up, going really hard, doing two-hour practices, doing a lot of moving to kind of test it out, and the last couple of days it's felt great. No pain at all. Yeah, it's a really good sign, really good sign moving forward.

Q. To talk about the foot again, how much confidence, I guess, did that give you that there isn't this lingering pain and it hasn't really been an issue it sounds like this week or maybe moving forward?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, it hasn't been an issue in a long time. It's tough. The doctors say, like, you know, You have a crack in your foot. You really shouldn't be playing.

And so even though I felt good after Wimbledon, obviously the pounding on hard court's going to be a lot tougher on it than grass court. Even though it felt fine, I skipped Atlanta. I didn't practice. I put myself in a boot.

Yeah, it's really great that I have been able to kind of play the last couple days and feel really good, and it gives me a lot of confidence moving forward that it's going to be good and I'm not going to just randomly break my foot like I was scared I might.