MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

March 22, 2026

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/R. Opelka

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on getting through to the fourth round. How did the match go for you today?

TAYLOR FRITZ: For me, it was really nice to not have to really get into those, like, pressure situations. You expect to play some breakers. Maybe in some tight spots on the serve where you get broken, you might just lose the set.

It was nice to get a break early in the first and find it in the second, get through that without any stress.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You're known to be very close friends with Reilly. When you got a matchup against a close friend, what's that like for you? When you were training together, who was the strongest one of you guys back in the day?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, it's not fun, not necessarily fun to play your friends. I've been doing it for a long, long time. Having played Reilly, Tommy, Frances so many times, you kind of just get used to it. It is what it is. You go out and play.

Yeah, I guess depends. When I kind of met all of them, we were like 14, 15. I'll tell you I was the worst, for sure. They all confirm that. That's not really up for debate (smiling).

I'd say Frances was probably the most ahead and Tommy. I'd say like Tommy, Reilly. Those guys were pretty like all close. I feel like I was definitely clearly behind.

Q. This is more of a broader question. You have such a great serve and great game off the ground, but a lot of experts and pundits talk about you being more willing to come forward will take you to the next level. Do you agree with them? How do you see that part of your game?

TAYLOR FRITZ: This is, like, a thing I can ramble on about for a really long time.

I classify coming into net, I can put it into three separate types of balls to come into the net on. I think there's certain ones that are good to come to net on. I think there's certain ones that are only good if you are like a top, top tier volleyer, I don't know, like five or six guys. There's come-to-net options where only those guys will win more than they lose. I think there's times where you're just kind of forced to come in.

Like, I agree. I agree that finishing more points at net will help me. But I also think it's more about me being able to generate more pace off of some of these, like, dead balls, which then allows me to come in behind it.

I think sometimes the approaches I'm hitting when I don't have the, I guess, pace to work off of, it's just not good enough against some of the guys that are so fast and pass so well.

I don't think I'm putting them in a tough enough position to where I'm probably not going to get passed or at least they're going to hit a good enough pass, where if I don't hit the perfect volley, they'll pass me on the next ball.

It's an easy thing to say, If he comes to net, he'll win more. I think that's kind of like a super bailout, no-effort response. Just things that, like, a commentator can say, but I think there's a lot of complexities to it.

I think for me, I need to get in more, but it's more about getting better at the shots beforehand so when I do get in, it's an easier volley to put away.

Q. Talking to Jess Pegula before the tournament, she was mentioning you as one of the guys being responsive as part of this effort for the top 10 men and women to talk to the Grand Slams about different categories. What has your role been like? What is your sense of optimism about effecting change with it?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I'd say it's just to the extent of this is the cause, this is the cause. I believe in it. I support it. I'm with all the other players because I do believe most of everyone in the top 10 is behind it. I'm not someone who likes to overstretch themselves with extra stuff to do. My support is there.

I think we're pushing for what's fair. I think the Grand Slams are such a large just pillar of tennis. When you see what certain things the ATP does for us, they can also contribute more, as well.

Q. Sebi is currently up a set and a break on Alcaraz. Would be a huge result for him. Good result in Delray. How much have you seen of him this year? What would this win or getting close signal to what he's doing?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, I saw a lot of him in Dallas. We had a very, very close match. I thought I played very well in that match and was still two points away from losing it, so...

I know Sebi has been playing really well. I feel like he's been serving... He's always returned well, struck the ball great off the baseline. I think he's serving better than normally. Serving really well, I think. Playing with confidence.

Obviously I can say this now, you don't need to believe me or not, but I said I felt like this was going to be a really close match.

Q. Korda's first time against the world No. 1. Your first time against Djokovic, 2019 Monte-Carlo. Your feeling going in? Excitement? Scared? Challenged? Take me to the point where you finally got one against Alcaraz, the feeling.

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, I think it's something because I don't actually think I'm playing I guess a world No. 1. To me if the person's been No. 1, one of like those top, top guys, it's all the same to me.

Honestly surprising to hear. When I played Nadal before, I kind of thought he might have been No. 1 in the world. I guess not.

Like what I'm saying is it's kind of all the same to me at that point. Yeah, I mean, I was excited in that moment to play Djokovic. I guess I wasn't thinking about him being world No. 1. It was just Novak.

Yeah, I mean, it's just great to go out there and play, especially when I was super young back then, no pressure, and kind of have fun.

Q. The sense of accomplishment beating Alcaraz, the world No. 1?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Like I said, I don't really specify if they're No. 1 or not. You just beat them on a certain week. I think if you beat someone who's No. 2 who has been No. 1, it's the same. I know I can beat No. 1. It's not any different, like a special thing obviously.

That was a big, big match for the team at Laver Cup. I was more just super happy that I delivered a big win against a really good player for the team. I didn't even realize that was my first time beating a world No. 1 I guess.

Q. You mentioned at the beginning every set seems to be a tiebreak. Six of your last seven against Reilly has gone to a tiebreak. What did you do to get those early breaks?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mentioned it a bit on court. I think you just got to feel it out sometimes based on the court conditions, the balls, what feels better. Sometimes standing up close feels better. Sometimes going to the fence feels better. It changes just based off the conditions. So I kind of felt it early on. I went up, I started up, then I went back. It definitely felt for me that I was having more success standing back. Kind of just stayed with it.

In the first set to give me the break he just made some mistakes when I put the returns in play. In the second set I was able to steal a couple points that I normally wouldn't win. I don't do that often. That made me pretty happy.

I feel like the way I broke him in the second was kind of like a way that I get broken a lot. People just defensively floating balls on the baseline, resetting the point. It's funny because I feel like the way I broke him in the second was like how sometimes people break me. It's pretty annoying (smiling).