THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 4, 2024

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/A. Rinderknech

6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: How are you feeling out on the grass today?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I feel pretty good. I played okay. I obviously want to play a bit, I guess, better moving forward. But happy to get through.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Rinderknech before your match said he wasn't too pleased with your prior match at the French Open and the composure and all that stuff. Do you listen to those things ahead to a match like this, and does it motivate you extra when you go on court to get the win under your belt?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, normally I don't, but it's tough not to when, obviously, someone kind of, I guess, goes out of their way to take a jab at you. It's tough not to see it because everyone is just going to, like, tag me and make sure I see it.

As soon as I saw it, the match was basically over.

Q. Would you mind continuing what you were saying. The match was basically over, and what happened in your mind and as things played out?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It just gives me extra fire, obviously. I'm a very chill person. I, like, don't do anything that could rub people the wrong way, so when someone kind of just goes out of their way to take a shot at me, then I'm not just going to take it. It gave me the extra fire to win. When we shook hands, I just said, Have a nice flight home.

He asked me what I said. I told him what I said. He told me he was in doubles still. I said, Oh, congrats, good for you. Then he started acting like, Why are you blah, blah, blah?

I'm like, Dude, you know what you said. You know what you said. Don't disrespect me before the match and then expect me to be all nice after the match. That's not how it works.

Q. Is there any go-to meal for you that's a sweet treat that gets you in?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Chipotle. I had Chipotle yesterday for lunch. But yeah, that's something I have a lot. This week has been great. We've all been in a house, so Mike's wife, Lilly, has been cooking a lot. It's been great.

Yeah, as far as ordering in and stuff, Chipotle is my go-to for sure.

Q. Madison Keys was at this chair earlier today and said this is the pinnacle and that everyone plays their hearts out when they're at Wimbledon. What is the challenge and the mentality of staying in the moment and maybe not being distracted by the weight of the moment and the place?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It's tough, to be honest. It still happens, I would say, at the other slams as well, so it's not like it's just at Wimbledon you feel extra.

I think most players would be lying if they said if they could pick one to win, that it wouldn't be Wimbledon because it's just the most prestige. Even though obviously it all counts the same points-wise and all that on the rankings, but I think this one is the biggest.

I guess there's an argument for us being Americans, US Open is the same. Yeah, it's the same feeling at all the slams, honestly. There's a lot of expectations and a lot of pressure, especially when you're, I guess, a higher seed and expected to do well, but it is what it is.

I think it changes. I don't know. It changes every year. It changes based on how confident you're feeling coming in. I don't know. It's not the same every time is the best, I guess, answer I can give.

Q. Would you say the conditions this year are a little bit slower on the grass than usual? Matches seem to be going on a little bit longer than expected.

TAYLOR FRITZ: It's so tough to tell because it's, like, I can't remember exactly how it felt a year ago. You know, I would have to go right from one to the other back-to-back to really give a 'for sure' answer.

Today was windy. I mean, it's not fun to play in at all. But I really can't tell. I felt like last year was pretty slow too.