US OPEN

August 24, 2025

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/E. Nava

7-5, 6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Taylor, congratulations. You've had some struggles in the first round of the Open against fellow Americans. That first set was really tight. Did you almost have any flashbacks again to those other matches? How hard is it to play a fellow American early at the US Open?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, it's not, I guess, fun to play -- also, a dangerous player in the first round. Big serve, hitting the ball huge, tough to break.

It's a match where I don't actually get to, I guess, control or do a lot of the things. He's gonna be the first one attacking and getting a lot of free points on the serve.

No, I mean, it's just first round of the Open. Most slams in general, it's just first round you come out, it's a little nervy and you kind of just get over the hump of the first set and then I can relax a bit and just play a bit better through the match.

I'm just happy to get through that tight first set.

Q. I wanted to ask you about your apparel sponsor, just because it's not anything new for players to sign with nontraditional tennis brands. We're seeing it more often now. How do you think about that? Is it that there are more brands that are getting into tennis? You have more to choose from? Does it make sense to you that guys are wanting to stand out more now? Your thoughts on that.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, I think more companies are getting into tennis. I think just, like, I feel like every brand wants to do a tennis line, even brands that don't necessarily sponsor tennis players, just kind of become a popular thing, like the athleisure and sporty clothes in general.

Yeah, I think there's a lot of options for players. For myself, like I thought it just seemed like a really good fit for me to go to Boss. Yeah, I think, I don't know, a lot of the top tennis brands I think are starting to, you know, really zero in on a couple of people they want, and that's kind of it.

Q. Curious about your relationship with Tiafoe. You played here last year. What's your relationship like? Any funny stories to share?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I have probably way too many funny stories (smiling). But yeah, Frances is, he's one of a kind. He's one of my best friends, for sure. We've always gotten along really well.

The best way to describe our relationship, why we get along so well, is both of us can laugh at ourselves a lot. So nonstop with him it's just us making fun of each other all the time.

I guess what I can think of off the top of my head right now is just the other day when we were playing the mixed, yeah, I got beat like 4-2, 4-2, I got off the court and he's making fun of me the entire time, about how we just got chopped and how bad we just got beat.

He texted me the second he got off the court, he goes, I can't even make fun of you, we just got killed. He goes, We just got chopped.

You know, we see each other, we're just laughing about it. That's kind of our relationship, is like neither one of us take each other too seriously. We're just always making fun of each other.

Q. Armstrong. Do you request it? You play on there a lot. I think you have said in the past that you kind of like it there. What is it about that court that's sort of works for you?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I don't necessarily request it. I care more about playing at the time of the day I want to play than what the court is, I guess. So it gets tough to, you know, get choosy with the times on Ashe. I really don't like some of the times you play during the day on Ashe, there's just this massive shadow going through the court. Like, it's kind of annoying for me.

So last year in particular I was asking to play on Armstrong because it was just easier to get the time of the day I wanted to play the match in.

But, I mean, to be honest, this year, this match I had absolutely no say in anything (smiling). I didn't really want to play on Sunday and I didn't really want to play early in the day, either. So, they got me today (smiling).

Yeah, typically I care more about getting the time of the day I want to play in rather than Ashe or Armstrong. If I can get a better, get that on Armstrong, then I go to Armstrong. At this point, I've had a lot of good matches and a lot of good record on Armstrong. So I definitely like the court.

Q. When it comes to playing at the Grand Slams, how much easier does it make your job playing one at home with the support here, especially when you're not playing an American, but even when you're playing an American, how much easier of a job is it for you to do with that support?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It's definitely never going to be a problem feeling really excited, pumped up, motivated on the court with the crowd getting behind you. I think it also adds a layer of pressure to it as well that I'm playing my home slam and I obviously want to have a good result.

But yeah, it's great to have just the crowd behind you, for sure.

Q. The milestones in your career, Indian Wells, reaching the final here last year, have those been the biggest moments for you sort of bolstering your self-belief, or are there moments on the practice court or maybe at a 250 that are just as powerful for you?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, for me, it's not necessarily about the results. It's about how I feel like I'm, I guess, playing. You know, I would take more confidence from, I guess, my run on the grass courts this year than maybe the US Open last year, because I felt like I was playing a higher level, in my opinion, during the whole grass swing this year than maybe when I made the run here.

At the same time, I take a lot of confidence from the run here, because I can have a result where I make it that deep in a slam feeling like I'm not playing incredible, I'm playing well but not, you know, as well as I know I can be playing.

So, you know, I'd say, like, end of last year, World Tour Finals, was huge. I thought I was playing some of my absolute best tennis then.

And then, yeah, at Wimbledon this year, Indian Wells that year, I think I judge it more off of how I feel I'm hitting the ball in practice and playing, not so much off of the results, I guess.

Q. Goes without saying at the very top of the game there is Jannik, such a great ball striker, so focused, and Carlos, athletic, variety, so forth. A locker room question, you might not want to field it, but when all is said and done between those two guys down the line, who do you think will emerge with the better record, stronger career?

TAYLOR FRITZ: You're trying to get me absolutely roasted by one of their fan bases. You don't win. You can't win with this answer.

I really don't know. It's impossible, impossible to say. I think Jannik and his results have been more consistent, but I think the high end of Carlos is, like, probably the highest level that you're going to see when Carlos is on.

So don't make me get just destroyed by one of their fan... I'm good (smiling).