ROLEX MONTE-CARLO MASTERS

April 15, 2023

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

A. RUBLEV/T. Fritz

5-7, 6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How difficult was this day with the conditions, with the break? How do you try to do your best with this?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, I don't think it was so much the break. I think the conditions were very tough. I don't think it was ideal for me to be, I guess, to come back from the break and be the one serving with the damp clay, you know, heavy balls from when we were playing when it was raining. So I think it was very tough to come and play that first game and then go straight into a ball change.

That's a bit unfortunate on I think the timing of the delay, and everything would have I think been a lot better for me if the delay was maybe like two games earlier.

But I don't think that was so much it. I just think the conditions in general were tough. It was super cold. You know, people probably don't realize how big of a difference it can make. I felt like the ball compared to yesterday just wasn't really going anywhere, so we were playing much longer points.

It was much tougher to finish a point and a lot of times kind of taking a chance or like being aggressive on a shot that you maybe want to go for. The risk isn't worth the reward because of how much slower the conditions were making it play.

Q. Does it hurt more in the arm and the legs when it's so heavy, windy?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I don't think it's tougher on anything in particular. It's a very like I guess it's a more fine line I need to walk with my shot selection a bit more. I wanted to go backhand line forehands and then be aggressive on certain shots, but I felt like because conditions were so much slower they wouldn't really accomplish what I wanted them to accomplish, the aggressive shots.

So I felt like a lot of times I was forced to play just a bit more safe than I would have liked. It's a lot of the reason why I actually was able to win the first set, because I was just honestly stealing a lot of points where he was attacking and he was on offense. If we were playing in faster conditions, then he hits winners on a lot of those balls, and I was kind of able to just scrape out a lot of points and kind of why I was able to win the first set, because I was able to place so many balls in the court.

I guess we have longer rallies and you get more winded, you can get more tired. It's more just very tough to just put the ball away.

Q. Do you feel you have a different approach to European clay courts than previous American generations? I read that you do not like the green American clay. For instance, last year you and a bunch of Americans played Estoril. What is your approach to...

TAYLOR FRITZ: Well, look, if you want to be one of the best players in the world, you really do have to perform on all surfaces. You know, I think it's very important that, like, I mean, what other choice do you have? You have to embrace it. You have to try to enjoy playing on it, try to get better, try to have the best results possible.

I'm still obviously improving a lot, but yeah, it's always been important for me to try to play a serious clay court schedule. Maybe not all the other, I guess, older generation of Americans wouldn't want to play so much on clay, but yeah, like I said, it's important if you want to be top-5, top-10 player to be able to perform on every surface.

Q. Does it have any influence, the results you had when you were a junior?

TAYLOR FRITZ: What do you mean?

Q. Does it have any influence, the results that you have as a junior?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, I guess I did feel like when I was a junior I had pretty solid results on red clay, so I think, yeah, I mean, junior, junior French Open final and stuff like that, it definitely, I guess, gave me confidence that at the very least I'm not awful, I'm not awful on red clay (smiling).

Q. How much of a surprise is it for you that Andrey Rublev with his skills, with powerful shots still didn't have Masters 1000? Do you think he should be at this place now?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, of course. I mean, I think there is a lot of people that don't necessarily have one that could have one, and obviously Andrey is definitely the caliber level of player that could definitely have won a Masters 1000, and I'm sure if not this week, at some point, you know, for sure he will.

You know, it's interesting how it is. He's very consistent. He's made lots of quarters, semis, and I think this is his third final. It's kind of just whoever plays the best on that week. It's just, I guess, you know, he has been unlucky. He hasn't had his week yet. But yeah, obviously he's 100% at the level of a player who you would expect to have one and he'll have one soon.