Even the strongest trees were once fragile seeds, which were raised under extreme care and love. Similarly, in the tennis world, every superstar was once a rising star who was brought up under some watchful eyes. For example, we’ve all heard about the story of Richard Williams and how he shaped Serena and Venus Williams’ mental toughness, and overall approach to success, both on and off the court. “Richard Willpower Williams pushed his kids hard every Day,” said Rick Macci (childhood coach of the Williams sisters). Richard was the one who “brainwashed” them to become number one. Similarly, on the men’s side, Guy Fritz had a similar role when it came to helping his kid, Taylor Fritz, reach his tennis goals. But how was the relationship between Fritz and his dad?
Having parents who are deeply involved with the sport can be a boon or a bane for the children. What was it for young Taylor Fritz? His mother, Kathy reached three Grand Slam QF in her career and won seven WTA titles, while his father also tried his hand in the sport before becoming a tennis coach. Guy Fritz had previously coached the 2008 Junior US Open champion, CoCo Vandeweghe, and in fact, later on, he also played a key role in helping his son lift the same title in 2015. As a result of his successes in his coaching, he also won the US Olympic Development Coach of the Year Award in 2016. But what was it like to grow up under the supervision of a “hard critic” for Taylor Fritz?
In a recent interview with Tennis Insider Club, Taylor Fritz revealed that he started playing tennis when he was 2 years old, and being from a family with a tennis background, it was literally impossible for him not to play this sport. “But to be honest, for a long time, when I was young, I absolutely hated it. He (his father) just tried to get me like on the court.” However, having said that he also revealed that although his father wanted him to play tennis, he didn’t ever feel like he was ever pushed towards only playing tennis.
Further on, while sharing his thoughts about his relationship with his father, Taylor Fritz said that his father was his coach for almost the whole of his life until he turned pro at the age of 18 and started doing his own things. “I mean it’s tough. I always tell people behind most good tennis players, there’s one like crazy parent in a good way but yeah I mean it was tough cause like my dad obviously pushed me really hard and I think growing up the relationship wasn’t amazing cause it was so much like the coach-player and he’s like he’s doing anything he can to like get me on the court and like play.“
Speaking more on that, Fritz admitted, “When I look back at it…you know it wasn’t great for our relationship, but then I think he trusted that I’d be smart enough to know where I’m at now. Yeah, I appreciate all of the…I guess the tough love and like toughness coz he never wanted me to be soft or you know spoil the kid. It can go two ways, like it can go into like ‘God, I hate him so much and this is awful’ or when I can look back at it and see that I wouldn’t be where I’m at if he didn’t push me as hard as he did. I’m thankful for that.“
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 8, 2024 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
Talking about pushing hard, he also spoke about how his father used to encourage him to do a few sprints and chin-ups before getting home when they used to come back from a basketball game or something like that. What did his father have to say about this incredible journey with his kid?
In a previous interview, Guy Fritz said, “I did everything I possibly could to make him a champion. From the minute he was born, I can’t even tell you every little thing I did.“ From making him walk on a balance board when he was Taylor Frtiz was a toddler to setting up a gym at their home and closely monitoring his clean, plant-rich diet, Guy’s contributions are enormous.
While sharing his thoughts on starting it early with his kid, Guy Fritz once said, “I started Taylor playing tennis young, with the goal of developing him into a pro. So, any time it was raining in San Diego, I’m looking at the weather forecast at Indian Wells, and I’d say, ‘Let’s go.’ He developed close friendships with some of the other players — I think he cared more about seeing his friends than playing tennis. They’d play pingpong, catch lizards, all the things 8-year-old kids do. But I remember telling him, ‘You know, you’re gonna win this tournament someday.’” Talking about winning tournaments, well, Taylor Fritz recently got his hands on one!
Taylor Fritz beats Alexander Zverev to secure his first title of the 2025 season
After facing an early exit from the 2025 French Open, Taylor Fritz made a strong start on the grass courts. It took him just 1 hour and 27 minutes to defeat Alexander Zverev in the final of the Boss Open by 6-3,7-6(0). With this win in Stuttgart, Fritz has now taken his H2H record to 8-5 against the German. Reacting to this defeat, Zverev jokingly said, “I’m tired of you (Fritz), I don’t want to see you over the next two or three years – stay away from me.“
Taylor Fritz didn’t drop a set on his way to clinching the ATP 250 title, and as a result of this victory, he will now rise to the fourth spot in the ranking before Wimbledon. But what did he say after securing his fourth ATP Tour title on grass and ninth overall?
“It was not so great a clay season, so to come here and start the grass season off perfectly, I am super happy to get the title and to do it here,” said Fritz. Interestingly, among the active players, only Novak Djokovic has more grass-court titles (8) than Taylor Fritz. His best performance at the Wimbledon Championships has been reaching the QFs in 2022 and 2024. Can he make full use of this winning run and make a winning start at the HSBC Championships before trying his luck at the grass-court major?
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