Intense and targeted from the second he steps on court docket, Taylor Fritz’s hard-hitting recreation has taken him to 4 ATP Tour titles and the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.
Away from the motion, nevertheless, the 25-year-old American is a peaceful, collected and fun-loving presence on the Tour. Now featured in Netflix’s behind-the-scenes documentary sequence Break Point, ATPTour.com breaks down 5 issues it’s possible you’ll not know in regards to the wide-smiling American.
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1) He Is An Avid Gamer & E-Sports Investor.
Fritz isn’t just a severe contender on the tennis court docket. One of the American’s largest off-court passions is video video games, with Fortnite, Call of Duty Black Ops 2 and World of Warcraft listed amongst his all-time favourites. He has invested in an organization that owns a Call of Duty league staff, the London Ravens, however he nonetheless will get his largest kick from competing on-line himself.
“I feel I actually obtained into it once I discovered that you may play on-line in opposition to different individuals,” Fritz informed ATPTour.com in 2021. “Just the concept of competitors like that… When I used to be a child that was probably the most entertaining factor to me, going up in opposition to anyone else. So, once I discovered I might go on Xbox with my mates and play Call of Duty at evening in opposition to different individuals and discuss [smack] to them whereas doing it, it was actually enjoyable for me.”
2. He Is a Top 10 participant… And So Was His Mum!
Fritz broke into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the primary time in October 2022. Reaching the Top 10 on the planet represents a notable achievement for any tennis participant, however Fritz was not the primary in his household to do it. His mom Kathy May Fritz reached a career-high of No. 10 on the Hologic WTA Tour in 1977, and Fritz has typically acknowledged the important thing position she performed in his personal growth.
“I spent quite a lot of time on the court docket with my mum and she or he taught me quite a lot of issues,” mentioned Fritz, who as a child as soon as teamed with Kathy May for a prestigious mother-son occasion at his native membership. “It has positively helped me alongside the way in which. She positively helped me make selections and she or he got here to tournaments, and she or he coached me and gave me methods.”
Taylor Fritz celebrates his 2022 triumph at Indian Wells along with his mom Kathy May Fritz. Photo Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.
3. He Reached The Third Round Of Wimbledon Just Three Weeks After Knee Surgery
Missing tournaments to get better from harm may be probably the most irritating facets of life on Tour, however Fritz pulled off a outstanding comeback after damaging the meniscus in his proper knee at Roland Garros in 2021. Despite instantly having to endure surgical procedure, the American stepped out at Wimbledon simply three weeks later to defeat his countryman Brandon Nakashima within the first spherical on the grass-court Grand Slam.
“It’s simply superb to see [reward for] all of the exhausting work I put in,” mentioned Fritz, who went on to succeed in the third spherical in London that yr. “I used to be actually decided. Every day once I was doing my three, 4 hours of [physical therapy], I used to be considering ‘Wimbledon, Wimbledon, Wimbledon.’ I used to be by no means actually discouraged.”
4. He Lived With Fellow ATP Tour Stars Reilly Opelka & Tommy Paul As A Teenager
Fritz enjoys a robust off-court relationship with lots of his on-court rivals on the ATP Tour, however his friendships with fellow Americans Reilly Opelka and Tommy Paul go manner again. The trio lived and educated collectively as youngsters on the US Tennis Association’s base in Boca Raton, Florida, and Fritz holds fond reminiscences of their time “form of hanging out, killing time collectively” as juniors.
“The first time I truly met them was once I went to USTA once I was like 15 years previous… We have been via a lot,” Fritz told ATPTour.com last year. “It’s loopy to assume you grew up with lots of people taking part in tennis, and never lots of them find yourself making it professionally and all of us have been capable of come up and be on Tour collectively. It is nice.”
5. He Regularly Tucks Into A Chipotle Bowl After A Heavy Training Session
As a finely tuned athlete always striving to seek out his greatest degree, Fritz sticks diligently to a fastidiously deliberate nutritious diet. He does take into account it “more healthy to only eat some cheat meals right here and there”, nevertheless, and one common a part of the American’s post-training session meal might come as a shock — a Chipotle bowl.
“You can be unhealthy with your bowl if you want to get like a ton of cheese on it, but you can also just go in and get chicken, rice, vegetables, and guacamole and that’s a great meal after you’ve just worked out,” Fritz told Insider last year. “I think a lot of people don’t understand how good it is as a post-workout meal. It’s got everything.”
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