US OPEN

September 3, 2024

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/A. Zverev

7-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Taylor, if you would, give us your thoughts on the win.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, I came out really just feeling good, ready to play. I think in a lot of my previous quarterfinals, I came out, like, a little bit, like, nervous, but today I just felt really, like, good from the start, ready to go.

I think maybe got more nervous as the match went on, because I felt like he was playing points a little bit tight. It almost caused me to play a little bit tight too. But, I mean, I came up with a lot of serves when I needed them. You know, played some big points well.

Super pumped to make it into my first semi.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Do you know why you came out with that different feeling you just described? What made today any different from the past quarterfinals? At the end, you seemed rather emotional, understandably. What would be the key to, if you need to bring down the emotion a little and get ready to play another match?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, the emotional level is down. You know, it's cool I'm in the semis. But I very much have the mindset of, you know, the job's not done, and I keep taking it one match at a time like I've been all tournament and focus on the next match ahead of me.

I'd say I think the way I came out today was different, because I just have been in this situation enough times. I think a question I got asked pretty much every time I lost in my quarterfinals was, what's it going to take to go further, and the answer I gave was always, just keep putting myself in these situations, and I'll become more comfortable in these situations and get better.

You know, that's definitely what happened now. The quarterfinals didn't feel like, I don't know, this big thing to me like it has been, I guess, in the past. It just felt like another tournament.

Q. Do you remember what was going through your head at 5-3 in the tiebreaker?

TAYLOR FRITZ: 5-3?

Q. Just the last couple points, sort of like when you're getting so close to that finish line and what you're thinking when you just have to play a few more good points.

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, in this specific moment I was just trying to tell myself not to give him anything for free, because neither one of us were, like, having a lot of success attacking. It was obviously very, like, just tight tennis.

I just wanted to focus on serving well, putting a lot of balls in the court and, you know, not, I guess, not bail out and look for a free point. Almost kind of what I did at I think 5-2 on my serve. I think I just looked to, like, pull a forehand on the first ball, which is fine, but when you're a little nervy, I guess, it's not as easy to make those shots that might, I guess, be a lot easier when you're feeling good.

You know, I just wanted to, I was just telling myself to be super just consistent and, you know, disciplined on the points.

Q. You've obviously played Alex a million times in your career. It must be difficult to come up with new tactics and everything, but what was the approach you wanted to take into today?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I think not too much changes, because at the end of the day, like, the points from the ground are only a little part of the match when serving is such a big thing between both of us. Most of the time he's making a lot of free points on his serve and I'm going to be getting a lot of free points on my serve.

One adjustment I had to make midmatch was he started returning my slice serves a lot better, so then I started having to mix up my serves. He was able to break me in the second set because he got onto that serve and hit some good returns so that I had to mix up the serve a bit more than I was before than maybe I have in the past.

But I think one thing that both of us do to each other quite well is both of us always expect the other person, when they get around with the forehand, to attack to the other person's forehand, pull one inside in or pull across. Both of us have a lot of success when we attack with the forehand inside out or line, and I think that's something that I went to a lot early, because he is always expecting me to be aggressive to his forehand.

But, yeah, I was able to get him a lot of times the forehand inside outs and forehand lines, and he did the same to me on some big points.

Q. Mike was just in here saying he didn't really talk to you about getting to a number of quarterfinals and not making that step because he didn't want to be negative. You said it was a big thing for you in the past. Did you do anything in particular to kind of address that or how did that affect you on a day-to-day basis going into games?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Like I said, it's just like being in the quarterfinals several times, being in the situation over and over again, it makes it not, I guess, such a big deal. When some of these, I guess, top players, someone like Novak, the quarterfinals is the same, holds the same weight as the second round, the third round, whatever. It's just common, you're used to it.

I mean, just being in quarterfinals, it's made the whole, I guess, like, moment of wow, I'm deep in a slam become a lot more dull of a feeling so I can just treat it much more like any other match.

Q. I'm just wondering, you've been the lead guy in this group of Americans for a long time now. You watched Frances and Tommy get to semis. I'm just wondering, was that not easy? Where was your belief during that whole stretch?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I was always happy for them. I think, honestly, like pumped for them (smiling).

I think the mental coping that I was doing for it was, well, every time I was in the quarters I played Djokovic. (Laughter.)

I think that was my, like, way to just, like, protect my ego. (Laughter.)

But then I got a look at Wimbledon where I didn't play Novak in a quarter. I guess my three quarters before were Novak, Novak, and Rafa. So then I got one where I played Musetti and he outplayed me and I lost. I think that's when I was, like, okay, maybe I can't, that excuse doesn't quite work out anymore (smiling).

No, it was always genuinely, like, just really happy for my friends to see them have the success and if anything, it always gave me the confidence that I can do it too.

Q. Jannik Sinner became No. 1 in the world because also he won 14 tiebreakers of the last 15. You won two tiebreakers today, 7-3, 7-3. That means you're playing both of you the most important points in a very solid way. Is that the real development of your game, I mean, compared to the last years?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, I wouldn't say that I'm necessarily playing the important points well, because, I mean, in that first set I had triple set point returning to not go to a tiebreaker and I didn't convert on any of them. So it's tricky.

I mean, getting through breakers, winning breakers, especially when you're a big server and you're going to find yourself in a lot of breakers, yeah, it makes a massive difference. You know, you'd be shocked at how good a player can become when they just win an extra one or two big points here and there.

Yeah, sometimes when I'm playing well, I'm coming through in those moments, and sometimes when I'm playing poorly I'm not coming through in those moments. In Montreal and Cincinnati, I was very poor converting some big points. Played some big points very bad. I lost early in both those tournaments. That's what happens, and sometimes that makes the difference.

But it's something that, yeah, I've done a really good job of this year.

Q. Taylor, obviously the match is yet to take place, Tiafoe versus Dimitrov. What are your thoughts about Dimitrov and then if it's Frances, what are your expectations for that one?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I don't know. If it's Grigor, obviously I'll have the crowd on my side, for sure. It will be an interesting matchup. You know, we've played a good amount. I think I've played a lot of people in this tournament so far that have, I guess, good preparation for playing Grigor, someone who is, like, slicing a lot of backhands and playing it short. The first three guys I played are all slicing backhands.

So, I don't know, that could be interesting. He's a very good player, and when he's on, he's very, very on. He's very good.

Foe, I mean, if it's Foe, that's going to be a lot of fun, and that's going to be just electric. Yeah, I think that would be awesome for the fans, as well, to be guaranteed that one of us is going to be going to the finals.