BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 5, 2025

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome back, Taylor. How are you feeling physically to get prepared for the first Masters 1000 of the season?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I feel okay. I took some time off to try to get healthy. I have been dealing with an injury for a bit, but kind of trying to work my way back into playing now. Yeah, hopefully everything is going to be feeling good. You know, I feel healthy for this week.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Saw your win yesterday with Elena Rybakina. I guess it's a pairing now, US Open, you guys seem to feel really well together.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I thought she played great last night. She did everything that I would, I guess, everything I could ask of a mixed doubles partner. I think it's a good fit.

Yeah, I asked her to play because I was looking for a US Open mixed partner, and she said that she wants to. She just has to check, I guess, with her team and everything. Hopefully it gets cleared (smiling).

Q. Having won here, a Californian, is there an extra spring in your step coming back to Indian Wells, good memories, just the fact that you're at home?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I'm always pumped to play here. I feel like I have a lot of confidence when I'm playing here. I feel like I always play well. Yeah, it's always really easy for me to get fired up to play this tournament.

Q. Do you approach it differently to a slam, 7 days to 12 days, like a Grand Slam?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I'd say it's about the same. I guess it's maybe a little less prep, because at a Grand Slam you have to be ready to play three-out-of-five sets. Here you don't. It's still the same way. I guess scheduling-wise, play a day, have a day off, play again, which is nice.

Yeah, I mean, it's mostly the same, I'd say, same routines.

Q. Working your way back from an injury, just wondering how last night felt physically for you on the court?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It felt pretty good, but I didn't think I'd have any issues just playing mixed doubles. I think a lot of my injury is, you know, it comes more into play when I'm full running, stretching, hitting, trying to hit big out of corners, stuff like that. Even during Acapulco, Delray, with the injury, I was trying to play through it.

80% of my game is pain-free. It's just the other 20% that kind of stops me from playing 100%. That's why I decided to pull out of Acapulco, because probably could have forced myself through it. But, I mean, I don't think I'm gonna win not playing, you know, being held back by something, and I also didn't want to hurt it any further.

So I'd say last night was good, but I kind of expected it to be.

Q. Is doubles more fun?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Hmm, yeah, I'd say it's more fun just because, for me anyway, just because it's more relaxing. It's easier to have more fun. I'm more serious on the singles court. I don't care too much a lot of times about the result of the doubles match. So I'd say because I don't really care as much about it, it's more fun, just less tense, you know, (smiling).

Q. With so many Americans in the top 10, 20, 50, on both sides of the tours, how does that translate to maybe getting new fans into the sport, especially younger fans, in the States specifically?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, I think it's great that we are kind of building the tennis, we can help build the tennis culture in the U.S. I think that's something that I wanted to contribute to help my whole career. I think the women have been doing an incredible job of that for a long, long time, and I think the guys kind of need to step it up a little bit.

Honestly, I think it's going to take one of us winning a slam to really get that spike of, you know, young fans on the men's side of things.

Yeah, I mean, it's great what we're currently doing. We have a great group. Like I said, the women have been carrying for a very, very long time (smiling).

Q. I think tennis in general with young people, they have a specific idea of it, it's like proper and country club. Is there a way to sort of change that? Because you all are young and modern, it's a different vibe from just that.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I think the sport needs to evolve. I think it is evolving. I think that needs to get the younger audience a bit, but, you know, I think that's more like the tournaments making tournaments more just like a fun thing, even if you don't understand tennis.

I think something like Australian Open does a great job of that. Like people just go there to have a great time. It's not necessarily so much about the tennis. You watch the tennis but there are a million of things to do while you're there.

I think it's almost more like a social event. Those kind of events are great for young fans to go and understand how much fun they can have at a tennis event and how much fun it is. And watching tennis live as well is a lot different too. I think you can start to appreciate it more.