Tennis Star Taylor Fritz Talks Wimbledon, Grand Slam, Career, Hobbies

Taylor Fritz thrives on competition.

“I actually welcome those big pressure matches and moments,” the U.S. athlete tells The Hollywood Reporter about performing on tennis‘ global stage. “What I’m inspired by is the people that are better than me.”

The 27-year-old Californian admittedly hates losing, and that addictive sense of rivalry motivating his sports career often spills over into his private life, too. Fritz, an avid gamer, deems League of Legends a fitting pastime to keep him on his toes when he’s not, you know, working his way to a Grand Slam final.

This glimpse into one of the sport’s most impressive stars (at the time of writing, Fritz ranks fifth in the world in men’s singles tennis) is only made possible by catching him at a smaller, less frenzied tournament. He comes to the Eastbourne Open on England’s south coast every year ahead of tennis’ most prestigious event.

Wimbledon, the London Grand Slam, widely considered the most exciting on the ATP calendar, formally kicked off Monday, and Fritz is no stranger to this kind of pressure. He’s won eight ATP Tour singles titles, including a Masters 1000 title at the 2022 Indian Wells Open, and went up against Italian Jannik Sinner in the 2024 U.S. Open final. He’s long dominated the American rankings in men’s tennis — he’s just waiting on that first Slam. And this year, Fritz says, it’s anyone’s game to win.

“No one is extremely experienced on grass,” he explains. “It’s faster. … It gives more chances to people that play big. I’d say there’s a better chance of there being upsets.”

Fritz is seemingly unflappable. If it wasn’t for the razor-sharp focus emanating from his 6’5″ frame, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’s not worried about Wimbledon at all. This cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor has no doubt proved useful in his opening games against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Gabriel Diallo. He won them both, and now looks to Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round of the tournament on Friday.

He also faces potentially playing some of the brightest talents in the sport, including the likes of Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev in the coming weeks (though, it’s worth noting that Fritz is seeded above the seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic).

He continues: “I’m feeling really good about my game on grass, I’m winning a lot of matches.” And Fritz, who shares an 8-year-old with former pro tennis player and ex-wife Raquel Pedraza, says any big win will be just as much for his son: “I don’t think he’s gonna be very impressed unless I win a Grand Slam.”

Below, Fritz opens up about life inside and outside of tennis. He also explains what makes the strawberries and cream-fronted Wimbledon so special, what he thinks of his partner, Morgan Riddle, becoming a social media star for her “touring with my tennis player boyfriend” content, and why he credits the American women — Serena and Venus Williams, Coco Gauff and more — for putting tennis on the map in the U.S.

Taylor, as we speak, you’re ranked fourth in the world in men’s singles tennis. Your highest ever ranking. How does that feel?

 It’s great to be at a career high right now. I want to keep getting better and continue to improve as I’ve been able to do over the years.

How have you dealt with increasing pressure to perform on a global stage — has it ever felt like too much?

For me, I actually welcome those big pressure matches and moments. I enjoy them.

Have you ever sought any advice from other tennis greats who have come before you?

I think I’m always interested to hear what someone might say. If someone who’s been in my position before has been through it, if they have any insights to offer me, I’m always willing to hear it out.

Who’s your biggest inspiration inside and outside of the sport?

In tennis, what I’m inspired by is just the people that are better than me. The ones that I want to catch up to, to compete against. So I’d say it’s my opponents and my rivals that inspire me the most in tennis. … I see all the guys that are ranked even in the vicinity of me as being my competition. [Smiles.] I hate losing. And I always need to have something I’m working towards. So I’m always trying to get better and chase the people in front of me.

Outside of tennis, you know, I’m not quite sure. I’d probably say my biggest motivation is my son. I think he’s always very unimpressed by everything I do! So I don’t think he’s gonna be very impressed unless I win a Grand Slam or [get ranked] number one in the world. [Laughs.] I don’t think he’s gonna care otherwise.

Have you found becoming a father has changed you as an athlete at all?

Not so much. I think [I feel it more] when I am away from tournaments and [away from] home. I try to manage my time the best I can to spend as much time as I can with him. Being a father has taken up a lot of time that maybe — I mean, I don’t even know what I’d be doing, but it’s taught me a lot about time management. Outside of tennis, it makes me appreciate and feel a bit more sense of urgency when I’m on the road, because that’s time that I’m not seeing my son. So it definitely motivates me to make the most of that time away, because if I’m not gonna be there with him, I should at least accomplish something.

Would you like to get him into tennis?

If he wants to! It’s not something I feel like I want to press him into too much.

These smaller tournaments — Queens or Eastbourne, for example — what makes them such a good set-up for a Grand Slam like Wimbledon?

For me, it’s a specific case with the grass season because there’s not a lot of tournaments [on grass]. So I’d rather play an extra week on grass and hopefully have a good week. I’ve had a lot of good weeks in Eastbourne in the past, so I feel like the years that I’ve been able to do well here, I’ve just gone into Wimbledon feeling very confident. I think that I’d much rather have that confidence going into Wimbledon that just have a week of practice. I’m feeling really good about my game on grass, I’m winning a lot of matches, but it makes me feel like I’m gonna go into the tournament, Wimbledon, and just not lose, to be honest.

How are you feeling about the competition? There’s a lot of talk about Carlos, Jannick. There are some more rivalries going on. They feel good for the men’s sport, don’t they?

Yeah. I think for Wimbledon, it adds a bit of a different factor because no one is extremely experienced on grass. It’s faster. It gives more chances to people that play big. I’d say there’s a better chance of there being upsets and it’s anyone’s game to win. It’s exciting.

What makes Wimbledon so special — and what’s your favorite Grand Slam?

What makes Wimbledon special is the prestige and the history of the event. I’m sure everyone will say that it has a different, more classic feel to it. There’s just something to it that the others don’t have. And I think I have to say my favorite is the U.S. Open, as an American.

You are one of the biggest U.S. stars in tennis at the moment. Do you feel like you’ve helped put tennis on the map in America a little bit?

I’m not sure. I hope I have. Anytime a kid tells me that I’m their favorite player or something, I almost can’t even believe it. I think there’s so many amazing players and the fact that I could be inspiring people to play or be passionate about the game is great, but as far as bringing new players into the sport and growing the sport in the U.S., I really do think the women in the U.S. have been taking the lead on that and leading the charge for a long time.

What keeps you grounded when you’re not thinking about tennis? What do you like to do in your spare time, aside from being with your son?

Playing video games, hanging with friends and relaxing, that gets my head away from tennis. Away from this work, competing in something else that’s not tennis is what I really enjoy.

What’s your favorite video game?

At the moment? I’d say League of Legends.

At The Hollywood Reporter, we’re in the business of film and TV. Do you have any favorite actors, films or directors right now?

I’ve always liked Leonardo DiCaprio. And Keanu Reeves is pretty sick. I just went to the premiere for the new movie, Ballerina. That was pretty good.

Is that something you’d like to do more of — attend movie premieres?

It’s cool when I have the free time, but it’s not the main focus. I don’t really have time for it, to be honest.

Your partner, Morgan, is something of a star herself, with over 1 million social media followers. What do you think about her social media career and becoming, as some have put it, the most famous woman in men’s tennis?

I think what she’s doing is really good. She’s able to take the travel and being on tour and make it into something that can bring more attention to the sport and make her money and turn it into a job. I think it’s a lot better than what the alternative would be — not making content, not doing stuff. She’s done a great job.

And lastly, ambition is a precursor for all top athletes, of course, but where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Five years from now I’ll be 32, so I’m hoping that I can have the longevity that a lot of people in recent times have had in their careers. I hope that my body is still holding up and I’m still able to play the level of tennis that I’ve been playing!