THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 6, 2025

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/J. Thompson

6-1, 3-0 [ret.]

THE MODERATOR: Taylor, not the way you wanted to go through today, but could you talk a little bit about the match.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, it's a shame. I think he's been playing a ton. Even played a three-set doubles match yesterday. Respect to him for trying to continue on.

But I think from what I'm hearing, there was a point at 2-1, the first game that I broke him, that's when he felt, I guess, the injury. He said after that he couldn't play, so...

Yeah, it's sad. I felt pretty locked in. I felt like I was playing well. I felt like I was going to play a very good match, but it is what it is.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You have now had 35 wins on grass. It's the most on the ATP Tour since 2020. When did you first realize that you enjoy playing on the grass, and how has your game on grass evolved?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I feel like the first time I played on grass in the juniors, I was already really excited to play on grass. I felt like it would be good for my game. Then the first time I played on it, I started having good results, felt like I was playing well.

My first big breakthrough in the juniors came at junior Wimbledon. Kind of since when I first started, I feel like a lot of parts of my game translates well. Then over time I feel like I've experimented with different things on grass as far as, like, returning, chipping, slicing, sometimes chipping and coming in on a low ball.

I think I'm trying not to change my game too much, but I've made little tweaks that have kind of, I don't know, helped me. I figured out different ways. I can change things on the court depending on, I guess, my opponent. I've figured out ways to adjust to do different things.

Q. Wondering what you've learned about managing these seed runs at the slams. Every tournament is different, but just in terms of your expectations or how to go about your off days, all of those little things, has it gotten easier? What's different between now and a few years ago?

TAYLOR FRITZ: For sure, from a few years ago, it's just like the experience of doing it over and over again I think helps a lot.

You kind of just get into a really nice routine of, for me anyways, like this is what I'm going to do on my day off. This is what I'm going to do the night of, like the routine that I just get into that I feel very confident that I just repeat.

Then I'm a little bit superstitious, but when I repeat the same routines, it gives me confidence that I'm going to keep playing well. So I get into a nice routine of like, okay, this is my match day, these are all the things I need to do. This is my off day, these are all the things I need to do.

Not every slam, every tournament, is going to be different, as well. There are going to be times where I have to play two five-setters in the first two rounds, like this week, and then I'm going to have to really manage my body. Luckily for me it was grass, and it was a lot of big serving, so I didn't feel like it took a lot out of me.

I think it's much more important to not do what I did at some of the other slams, because then that can really set you back as far as, like, having a deep run. But here I guess it's all right.

Yeah, I think for me it's just about getting on these, like, routines and kind of just checking off everything on the list that I feel like I need to do. Then that gives me a lot of confidence to feel ready to play.

I think getting past the first couple rounds and just always taking it one match at a time is a huge thing as well.

Q. When you talked about experimenting with stuff on grass, are you talking about during matches? When do you have time to experiment with your game throughout the course of the year where you barely have time to practice all that much?

TAYLOR FRITZ: The biggest tweak, like the thing that I experiment the most with is just return positioning and grips and stance on returning. Whether I want to be holding a chip grasp and standing in close, and then the chip grip is just my backhand grip, so I don't have to switch grips or anything. If I want to take a step back, look to hit over, look to be switching grips, I guess, if we're serving the other way.

I've been able to just, like, I mean, from basically the first time I got on grass, before Stuttgart, the days leading up to the tournament, I just tried both, experimented, felt like this feels better. Just to see.

I think maybe a couple years ago I was one-dimensional. I was pretty much only doing one or the other. Now I feel like I've found a good balance of, like, what conditions need to be met in the match based off of what my opponent's doing off of it, how he's serving, how I'm hitting the ball, to kind of decide which way I want to go about returning.

It's nice to know that I can do both.

Q. Next you play somebody you haven't played in quite a number of years. How would you describe the way the two of you have changed since then and where you are in similarities and differences with him right now?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I would say last time - I could be forgetting - I think the last time we played was ATP Cup, is that correct?

Q. Yes.

TAYLOR FRITZ: I think he was probably ranked around in the 10 to 15 category, and I was ranked probably like 30. I improved a ton since then. I'm a much better player.

I think our games are quite similar overall. To be honest, we practice all the time, so we're pretty familiar with each other's games. But yeah, I think I improved a ton and have become a much, much better player since the last time we played.

Q. What do you admire most about his game?

TAYLOR FRITZ: He's got a great backhand. He's got a really nice backhand.

Q. How does your demeanor change as you go through these tournaments? Has anyone ever told you that your demeanor changes because maybe you're, like, I'm just the same person? The people around you, do they sense something? Do you feel it inside yourself?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It changes, to be honest. I think sometimes, like, I guess a good example is before the match today, I feel like I probably have every reason to be stressed out before this match because it's a decent opportunity to make quarterfinals. It's always more stressful when you're the favorite to win, I guess. But I was not stressed at all. I could totally see myself randomly same tournament, another year, just freaking out before. It changes all the time.

I'd say I'm probably a bit more high-strung in the beginning of the week because I haven't played my first match yet, I haven't gotten myself into the tournament. I feel like once I play that first match, feel like I'm playing good tennis, I relax a lot.

I guess it's always scary kind of coming into a slam and playing that opening match sometimes.

Q. Did I hear correctly that you said you are superstitious? If so, in what ways?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I'm superstitious in a way that it just revolves, like, my routine. I don't have superstitions on the court or anything, but I take the saying, 'You don't change a winning formula'. I'd say I take that to an extreme of every single thing I'm doing, I just want to eat the same thing. I want to, I mean, for all the meals, eat the same thing. I'm trying to think of other examples.

I just get into a routine. I do everything the exactly the same. I don't know how to break it down specifically. It's like the second I get off the practice court, like I eat, I organize my clothes, I go shower. Everything is in the same order. It's like to an extreme level. I'm doing everything the same.

Q. I don't know if you heard about or saw what happened at Centre Court today with the match going on. There was a blatantly missed call where it turns out the electronic line calling system was off at that moment. The player who lost the point incorrectly argued about it. The chair umpire replayed the point.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I didn't hear about it. I'm trying to understand what happened.

So someone hit a ball out that was clearly out?

Q. Yes.

TAYLOR FRITZ: The Hawk-Eye didn't call it?

Q. Correct.

TAYLOR FRITZ: They replayed the point?

Q. Correct.

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, if it was clearly out, then why is the chair umpire there? The chair umpire has to make the call. Why is he there if he's not going to call the ball?

Q. In a situation like that, as the player who got wronged, how frustrating is that kind of thing in the moment? How hard can it be to move past it?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, it's really frustrating. It's frustrating when you mess up in a match, and then you have to get over it. Maybe you played bad, and you did that. When things are completely out of your control, for me anyways, that's by far the most frustrating something can be is when it's completely out of your control, and there's nothing you can do, it's unfair.

I guess it's almost the same thing as you get an unlucky bounce or something like that. Those are the most frustrating type things. This is even worse because it's something that it's so easy to fix.

I had a very similar situation happen to me in Cincinnati last year. The electronic line calling didn't call it. Then it actually did call it a couple shots later, showed that it was out, but we still had to replay the point, which made no sense.

At the time I was told by the chair umpire I needed to stop the point, and I had to stop the point if I wanted to win the point. I said, Why would I? I go, Listen to what you're saying. You want me to stop the point when there's electronic line calling, because I thought the ball was out. It's insane.

There should be situations where the umpires can obviously step in and make a call. If it's obvious, it's ridiculous.

Q. It was interesting that you spoke about the orderliness of your routine. Also, you might even say your career, since a junior kid, has had a certain step-by-step quality all the way through. Could you talk about that step-by-step process? Is that something you're proud of? Secondly, you were speaking about tennis knowledge the other night and mentioned Nick and Frances. If you could give a little bit more on both of their insights.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Well, for that, I mean, I can't really give much more specifics. I just know when I talk strategy with someone, if I'm like a scouting report or something, if I'm going to play somebody the way that someone can kind of break down someone's game, this is what they don't do that well, this is good into them.

I mean, listening to someone talk about those type of things, I can pretty quickly pick up if they know what they're talking about or not. Just in conversations with both of those guys, I feel like they have very good knowledge and understanding of understanding the game, understanding how people play, people's tendencies.

I don't know. It's really hard to explain, to be honest. It's really hard to explain in this level to people who aren't actual tennis players. I said it the other day. It sounds like we're just talking gibberish.

They just have a very good understanding of things that are strategy related. I'm sure if I talked to a lot of other players, maybe it would be the same. Those two stand out to me as two people you probably wouldn't expect to be extremely knowledgeable about tennis, but they really, really are.

I've said this like a lot of times I feel like. I've always been someone, once I can do something once, I feel it's a lot easier to do it again and repeat it. That's kind of what it's been like trying to reach these new levels.

Once I've been able to do it, I feel like that confidence that I've been there, I can do it again. I'm proud of the fact that I've been able to continually improve throughout my career.

I think I just keep trying to get better and better and push for more. I've never really been satisfied with where I'm at. There's still always that, I guess, hunger to keep going for more.

I still feel like I'm getting better. So I'm going to keep doing that - hopefully keep doing that till my body won't let me do it anymore.

Q. You must have to do hundreds of these interviews, press conferences a year. Do you find you enjoy them? Do you feel them useful? A bit of a chore?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I think it's fine to do press conferences. I'd say the most annoying thing is getting asked similar questions, the same questions over and over and over again because I answer the same questions a lot.

No, especially when people are coming with genuinely good questions, I enjoy giving thoughtful, genuine, good answers.