ATP Firsts: Taylor Fritz

Taylor Fritz feels like this is his time of the ATP World Tour season. The California native is back in the U.S. and back on his favourite surface – hard courts.

The 20-year-old, who fell in five sets in the Wimbledon second round to fourth seed Alexander Zverev earlier this month, will look to reach his second BB&T Atlanta Open quarter-final this week (2016, l. to Isner).

“I feel like I was playing well at Wimbledon, and now I’m coming onto hard court, which is my best surface… I’m playing with a lot of confidence, and I’m feeling good about my game,” Fritz told ATPWorldTour.com.

The #NextGenATP right-hander opens against Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open finalist Ramkumar Ramanathan of India on Tuesday. But first, Fritz took time to talk with ATPWorldTour.com about his ATP Firsts, including the time he almost beat Roger Federer and when he met his future wife on the tennis court as a 12-year-old.

First moment I realised I loved tennis
I’m still waiting for that. (laughs)

First coach and most important lesson he/she taught me
My dad, and it was to have fun with tennis… [I started] when I was 2. Quit for a couple years, though, at like 5 to 6, wasn’t really feeling it anymore, then got back into it… I got burnt out at 4. (laughs)

Watch: Fritz Introduces His Family

First pinch-me moment on the ATP World Tour
When I played Federer in 2016 [at Stuttgart], and I won the second set off him. That’s when I was like, ‘This is happening. What’s going on here?’ I ended up losing the match but just winning the second set on him, I was just like, ‘This is insane. This is a dream.’

I had a chance to win that match. I think I had break points to serve for the match in the third, and what went through my head was like, ‘Oh my God, I might actually beat Federer,’ and that’s what definitely lost it for me.

First thing I bought with prize money
I bought a house… I don’t make that kind of money to buy a mansion in LA… Three-bedroom house.

First time I met my wife
This is funny. The first time I met her we were actually 12, and we were playing doubles. We played against her. She actually beat me in doubles in the Southern California Sectionals… She was playing with Brandon Holt, who plays at USC [University of Southern California] now. [Score was] 4 and 4, maybe? She was pretty good. We didn’t really stand much of a chance.

That’s when we met each other… then we actually really met I guess at Intersectionals in the 16 and unders. And that’s when we kind of became a thing.

Read More: Fritz Weds Raquel Pedraza In California