AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 20, 2026

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/V. Royer

7-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Taylor, just take us through the match today after dropping the second set. How do you regroup and come back with a solid third and fourth set?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I don't know. I think the first set was kind of crazy I won. I normally don't even like -- if I get broken twice, I feel like I, a lot of times, don't even bother trying to win the set. It's like it's gone.

But I played two very good games, return games to break him. Gave myself a chance, you know, to play for a breaker that set and got it.

The second set was not bad level. I had some opportunities to break him, one of which he hit a first serve as a second serve on the line for an ace, on one of my break points, so it's like it is what it is.

Then I think he played a very good game. Hit some good shots when he broke me for the set. So kind of just is what it is.

But for whatever reason the third, when I came out for the third, I was just much more calm and relaxed and my mind was just working a lot more clearly. I felt like just my decision-making was so much better.

I knew what shots to hit. I wasn't, like, going over in my head as I'm hitting a shot what I should do like I was the first two sets. I just felt very, like, calm and confident. I really felt like myself the last two sets.

Q. Obviously there's question marks earlier in the year about your health. How are you feeling after that match?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I've said a little bit. I think there's been some pretty big improvements in my knee. That was the goal to start feeling that about a little over two months into this, the program of strengthening the tendon.

But, you know, I'm way better than I expected to be after how I felt my first week or so in Australia. Yeah, I didn't expect to be able to play, I guess, the physicality and the length of the match I played today and actually not have my knee feel like awful right now. It's really promising.

But unfortunately there were some other injuries that popped up this week kind of when I was getting ready, which sucks. I don't want to get into it too much. I might talk about it after the tournament. But I'm kind of just having to feel it as I go because it's something I've dealt with before, so I, you know, am familiar with it.

Q. Taylor, I think we all want to start the season feeling 100% fresh, so for you to maybe deal with some physical issues this early in the season, is it particularly frustrating? How are you working through the emotional ramifications?

TAYLOR FRITZ: By the way, if you look at the tour it's not just me, there's a lot of people starting the year with injuries. Maybe the season is too long, I don't know. Maybe four weeks isn't enough to fully get healthy of all injuries.

You know, it is what it is. You know, I think, like I said, laid a lot of groundwork in the off-season to get healthy. But at the same time the off-season is so short, you need to be like training hard in the off-season or else you come into the year, you know, feeling like you've not played enough matches or had enough time on court, which is very much how I feel.

Like I said I'm really happy for those last two sets because I really felt like myself on the court the last two sets of that match, just how I'm processing, like how my mind is working. It felt great. So that's good at least.

Yeah, I mean, it's tough when, you know, we have an off-season that kind of forces you. You have to be healthy in it to train or else you're kind of in a bad spot to start the season. It's not the best situation.

Q. All the American guys got together for a pre-tournament for dinner. How did that tradition come together here? Pretty good numbers, like 10 of you guys.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, it's growing a lot. It used to not be so big. But we started doing this. And it makes sense in Australia, because it's like we start the year, there's some time before the tournament. You know, a lot of us haven't seen each other because of off-season and stuff like that. So, you know, we always do it here.

But it started like 2018, or something like that, where we'd go to -- I think we started going to Chin Chin, a place, and there would be like not so much of us. But now we're older I've tried to kind of branch it out and invite all the guys.

I don't have every American guy's number. And there's new guys that come up. So I put six or seven of the guys in the group chat, and everyone is invited. I'm getting the big table. Whoever can come comes, and I've kind of taken charge of planning it, which sucks, but...

Q. We're happy to see Ethan win today.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah.

Q. After his loss on Saturday.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, he had some extra motivation to win the match today, so that was good. I felt really bad that he lost with everyone at that table. And kind of the same thing happened last year. Everyone told me last year I slacked and didn't do it. Two years ago we did it so two people lost and they split it. It was Kova and J.J. I felt awful there, too.

But at the same time like people need to understand like I took two Ls very early on in my career, too, back-to-back years. It all comes around. I told Ethan, Keep coming back every year. You'll get some free dinners, too.

Q. I came across this story on the internet. I'm not sure if you've ever spoken about it, but I'm curious what happened a couple of years ago when you apparently were in London and you had a break-in or something.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Oh yeah.

Q. Or you thought there was a break-in and you picked up your acquet?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, it was 2024. I went to London to do a training week before World Tour Finals because it's not long enough to go back to the US.

I got an Airbnb. I think it was because I booked the Airbnb last second, I think when it is through those like agencies, they have a cleaning agency that comes in. The code to the door, you know, gets given out because people have to come in. But obviously whoever is in charge, like the agent of the place that puts on the Airbnb, changes the codes and stuff.

But someone, yeah, pulled up at, like, I don't even know, like 2, 3 a.m., being super loud outside, woke us up, and then they were trying to enter the code. So I think someone -- I think they thought no one was there because, like I said, I booked it last second. And someone that probably worked on, like, I don't know, the cleaning team or something, probably gave them the code. I think it was an organised break-in.

Luckily the code was changed. But I was sitting at the door holding my racquet. I mean, realistically I think people made fun of that. But realistically if I hit someone with a racquet, that's going to do some damage.

Q. I have a hockey stick that I use.

TAYLOR FRITZ: I feel confident swinging a tennis racquet.