US OPEN

September 1, 2026

Taylor Fritz

Press Conference

T. FRITZ/D. Blanch

6-3, 6-2, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the convincing win. Your thoughts on your level of play in that first-round victory.

TAYLOR FRITZ: It was all right. I think coming out first round of the Open, there's always going to be some nerves. I don't expect to come out and play, like, amazing.

I thought I served well. Other than that, it was okay. I think there's a lot of room for improvement.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I was thinking that you were 18 when you debuted here. You played an 18-year-old American today. Was there any moment where you could sort of see yourself in Blanch's play? Could you see what he was maybe struggling with in the way that you might have 10 years ago?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, I couldn't really see myself, but, I mean, I could see, it's like he's out on Ashe, he's young, I feel like he was definitely feeling a bit the pressure a little bit, which it can go either way.

It's like when I was young, I had matches where I, you know, you're not really expected to win. I just show up and play. Show up and play amazing, because there is no pressure. Then there's matches like that where you're on a big court and you really want to play well, and you're just kind of feeling it a bit.

Yeah, I mean, I don't think he necessarily played his best match. I mean, it was lucky for me. I was expecting and ready for, you know, him to play really well.

Q. I'm sure you guys playing best-of-five sets, there's always something that hurts a little bit. Watching Novak the other night, it seemed like there was a lot of stuff adding up. What's the level where you say, I can't do it anymore where I'd have to stop, or maybe I can battle, a foot hurts, but how much would have to happen for you to say, I just can't play anymore. Is it all you? Do you have a coach who's telling you, Enough's enough?

TAYLOR FRITZ: That's the thing. I'm probably not the best person to ask. I think I've played a couple of times when I probably shouldn't have played, but I'd say in general, for me, it's probably when it's all you can think about while you're playing.

If you can't play and kind of just like at times forget about the injury, if you're kind of just, like, always being reminded of it because of, like, the pain, then probably shouldn't be playing, because at that point it's really hard to focus on actually playing if you're always thinking about it.

Q. How do you experience nerves? What does it feel like for you? Is it hard to concentrate? Is it stomach, legs heavy? And what do you do to shake them off and get into a match?

TAYLOR FRITZ: It's just like, I don't know, I wasn't really nervous before the match. You just get nervous once you get out there. It's just like you kind of, I don't know, like heart's racing. You're just not thinking as calmly. Things seem like they're happening a bit faster than they are.

I don't know. I feel like I'm nervous the first match of every slam, probably more so at the US Open, and I have been like that for the last whatever, however many years. It hasn't stopped me from having good results here, so I don't really -- it's just part of it. You know, it's normal.

Q. How would you compare the player you are today to the one that made the finals two years ago?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, I think, I don't know. I think I do a lot of things better. I think I actually serve better than I did when I made the finals now. From the ground, I'd say I'm about the same. I'd say on that specific run, my body definitely felt really good, and I was moving exceptionally well that week.

Honestly, I think I'm the same player or even better. It just depends on, like, the form at the time and confidence. But I'd say my level is pretty similar.

Q. You and Tommy, Frances, Reilly have always had a close relationship, but it sounds like at Tommy's wedding this summer, you really stepped back and appreciated how special it was. I wonder if you could just comment on that, after all these years, even appreciated more all you guys have been through?

TAYLOR FRITZ: Yeah, I mean, I don't think the wedding made me come to a realization, like, Wow, these are, I love these guys so much.

I think we've already all kind of known that. We're super-close friends. It's just a good time when all of us get to spend time together, not in a tennis environment, which also is kind of rare.

Yeah, it's great to just be around these guys I've known for, I mean, close to 15 years, you know, (smiling). We're all really close, and yeah, I'd consider a lot of those guys like my absolute closest friends.

Q. Last couple nights you saw Ben struggle, you saw Frances last night have to go five sets. Does that play in your mind at all as you're preparing for a first-round match and seeing the bumps they went through?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I didn't see any of Frances' match. I just saw the score. I didn't see the end of Ben's match either, but I saw the first set.

If anything, it makes me feel better. It's normal, as I said, to have some nerves coming out. As a top American, you have a lot of expectations. It's normal to be nervy.

And when I saw Ben's first set, like, just makes me feel like, yeah, if it happens, it happens. He regrouped and won the match pretty routinely afterwards, and it kind of gave me the reassurance, hey, if I come out nervy, play a bad first set, no need to panic.

Q. I know obviously over the years you have heard a thousand questions about the American drought and all that and it gets magnified when you're here. For you personally, when you look back on your career one day, how important is it for you personally whether you do end up with a slam or not?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I would, I mean, it's super important for me. I'd be I think pretty disappointed in the end of it if I wasn't able to achieve that. I think in my life, any time I have set a big goal for myself, I've always done it. It would be really tough for me to not.

Q. You mentioned the expectations being a top American. Have you ever seen a field maybe this open, given some of the injuries and some of the upsets that have already happened this early in the tournament?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, yeah, French Open.

Q. What do you make of it, I guess?

TAYLOR FRITZ: None of that matters until I'm in the semis or the finals, honestly, so I don't even worry about it until then.

Q. I'm from Germany and I have a question about American tennis culture if you don't mind. You have, like, 600 public courts here alone in New York, which is pretty much typical American thing, I guess, like in San Diego where you grew up, as well. What would you think how crucial is that for the U.S. tennis future that every American kid has direct access to public courts? And did you yourself play on a public court as well?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I mean, growing up, I didn't typically play on public courts, like sometimes if I was, say, practicing with a friend and we wanted to meet somewhere to practice, but typically, no, but I do think there is no shortage of public courts for people in the U.S.

I think it's just about getting a lot of people on them (smiling).

Q. Nonsports question. The US Open runs parallel to back-to-school for a lot of children in the country. When you were a kid, elementary school, high school, what did you think about the days leading up to the first day of school? Were you excited about it, indifferent? Were you not happy about it? Any memories about looking at advertisements for, hey, it's a back-to-school sale? How did you feel about this time of year?

TAYLOR FRITZ: I was always pretty excited to go back to school after the summer, excited for the first week or two, and then, Oh, it sucks now, I don't really want to do this.

I do remember when I first started playing juniors here, I would just straight up miss like the first two weeks of high school my freshman year, and I had so much catchup work to do.