United States youngster Taylor Fritz recently shared his experience of playing against Swiss maestro Roger Federer. The American in his interview with Culture map Dallas highlighted how facing his childhood hero, Federer in a match was enough to overwhelm him.
The pair met in the second round of the 2016 Stuttgart Open. Federer was the top seed then whereas Fritz was only 18 years old. The American was defeated 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 but he did not go down before putting up a fight.
Sharing insights on the game, the American No. 1 highlighted how the situation overwhelmed him completely. He simply could not control his emotions.
“It is [both fun and intimidating to face players I watched growing up]. When I was 18 and playing Roger Federer for the first time, it was like, “Wow!” I literally grew up watching this guy beat everybody. It’s pretty crazy,” Fritz said.
The American simply failed to phase his ‘fanboy’ self out from the match as Federer broke his service when the game was level at 4-4 in the third set. The Swiss maestro then held his own serve to win the match. Fritz blamed his nerves for the late goof up as he showed great quality in front of Roger Federer.
Despite losing the game, the 24-year-old is grateful to have an experience like this so early in his career. He said, “It was close in the third set and I thought I had a chance to win. I think the thought of possibly beating Federer that day is what did me in. I lost the match. But it was an amazing experience. You have to take a step back and remember who these players are and what they mean to tennis,” Fritz said.
Currently, Fritz is the highest rated American on tour and the 24-year-old is proud of this achievement. But he clearly mentioned that he has higher ambitions. He highlights how being the top American player on tour has been one of his dreams but he wants to rank higher than being only 19th in the World.
“Being the No. 1 American has always been a dream of mine. Sometimes I have to stop and think about it. I realize that it’s something I’ve worked my whole life toward, but I want to be ranked a lot higher,” Fritz said. “I’m happy being the No. 1 American, but I’m not happy being No. 19 in the world.”
Taylor Fritz did put up a sensational fight in the fourth round of the Australian open against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Although he lost the five-setter game, he reduced the Greek left huffing and puffing. The 24-year-old is currently featuring in the Dallas Open and will take on Marcos Giron in the quarterfinals after he defeated Jack Sock in the last round.
