Part II

I thought I’d use the second part of my diary to share a little bit more about myself and tell you about some of the interesting and incredible experiences I’ve had in each city on tour so far.

Being part of the ATP’s #NextGen…

The #NextGen launch was a big deal for all of us and I know we all feel privileged and honored to be a part of the group. It’s been a while since the ATP’s created a campaign like this and they’re really promoting it hard. It’s exciting to be included and I look forward to improving and growing as a player and also doing everything I can to promote the game in the US and around the world.

During the launch it was a bit surreal. Seeing pictures of myself from the ATP photoshoot in Australia, I can’t believe how cool it is that I get to do these types of things. I’m so fortunate and it’s great to have these kinds of experiences and this kind of exposure. I feel lucky and honored to be one of the guys in the group but at the same time it makes me want to work even harder to make sure I reach my full potential.

Cool Moments

Going to the Lakers game…

Just before Indian Wells I got the chance to go and watch the LA Lakers play at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was really cool. The Lakers have always been my favorite team and Kobe Bryant, my favorite player, so any time I get the opportunity to go to a game, I grab it. It was such a great experience to go into the locker room and meet the coach and the players. A lot of the players are managed by the same sports agency as me (CAA Sports), so they were very welcoming and could not have been more friendly. I had a lot of fun just seeing everything backstage and then watching the game. We had great seats so I felt very lucky. I really enjoy having the opportunity to go and watch other sports live. It’s inspiring. 

Speaking of inspiring, just before the game we bumped into two more than inspiring legends of our game, Roger Federer and Tommy Haas. They were both there, separately, for fun and it was really nice for me to get the opportunity to talk to them in a different setting. Tommy was very friendly as always, and Roger was kind enough to take the time to give me some advice on my scheduling and how to best navigate my way through the tour as a youngster. 

Touring the Bernabeu…

While I was in Madrid, the ATP organized a tour of the Bernabeu for me. If you don’t know, that’s where Real Madrid play. I’m a huge soccer fan and probably one of the biggest Cristiano Ronaldo fans out there, so it was an amazing experience for me! It was really cool seeing what the players see and where they spend their time before and after games. When I was walking up the steps past the dugout and onto the pitch, I couldn’t imagine what it must feel like when the stands are packed and everyone is waiting for the players to come out. It was incredible. A couple of nights later I was lucky enough to get to watch them play Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals. What a game to be in town for!

About Me

All tennis players have their quirks…

Sorry to say I don’t have too many strange or interesting superstitions. One thing I have got into the habit of doing is jumping in the ice bath after every match. The problem is that this isn’t an option at every tournament so sometimes I have to improvise. When there’s an ice machine and a bath at my hotel you’ll usually find me shivering in the tub on the night’s before and after matches! I’ve been doing that since I started on the tour, so for about six to seven months. I feel a lot better the next day and in the morning. Now it’s just in my head, I need to do it. If I don’t have one, I feel like I won’t feel good the next day. As I write this I’m starting to realize it may be turning into a bit of a superstition. But oh well, at least it’s a good habit.

I’m definitely still a teenager…

Like most kids my age, I’m definitely not a morning person at all. And I’m very, very particular about sleep when I’m at a tournament. The day before I play, and the day before that, I put my foot down and force myself to sleep in until at least 10am. I need to get so much sleep before I play.

Another somewhat interesting fact- I always have a messy room. Unless my girlfriend’s staying with me, then maybe she’ll help me organise things. But if it’s just me staying there, it will 100 per cent always be a really, really messy room. Stuff everywhere. With that said, somehow I always know where everything is, so it kinda works.

Any chance I get to play a sport other than tennis, I get pretty excited. I like to think I’m a good basketball player, but my basketball days pretty much ended freshman year of high school. When I’m home, the only organised sport I have is soccer every Saturday. I’m American, though, so I’m not Ronaldo out there!

My success at tennis hasn’t changed anything. It’s still the same with my friends, it always is. I’ve known my friends forever, so to them I’m exactly the same person they knew way back before I had any tennis ranking.

It’s going to be strange later in the year, though. All my friends are going off to college. I’d be in my senior year of high school right now. It’s really weird thinking that after the summer, I’m going to come back and they’re not going to be there. I could’ve been at college too but I chose a slightly different path.

At home I’m just like any other teenager. I like to play video games, play soccer, hang out with my friends, sleep. I like to just relax and take it easy. I play FIFA and mostly sports-themed video games, so I’m always doing something that revolves around sports.

A couple of lessons I’ve learned along the way…

Always check the weather forecast before packing!

OK, Memphis was a little chillier than I’d expected. The hotel was walking distance from the site and during morning walks over I got made fun of because I would wear shorts and it was freezing! I really didn’t pack for the time of the year. That trip caught me out- i wasn’t ready for it at all.

Tough travel experiences are inevitable…

My first bad travel experience came on a flight from Guadeloupe. I was in a middle seat, which is never ideal on a long flight, and the guy next to me was a pretty big guy. And you know how you’re allowed to bring babies with you and they don’t have their own seat? Well this kid was way too big not to have her own seat and the guy had her on his lap. She was crawling all over me and even hitting me in the face from time to time. That was a tough one.

That’s all I have for now. I hope you guys enjoyed my travel diary and hope that I’ve been able to give you a little insight into what life’s like when you’re starting out on the ATP World Tour!

Don’t Miss Part I!

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How exciting to be kicking off the ATP’s new #NextGen diary series! Having had such an amazing start to the season, it’s going to be a challenge for me to tell you everything as so much has been happening. It’s been an absolute whirlwind of one thing after another. Thankfully, mostly good things!

Looking back at the past few months, I think it’s safe to say I have exceeded my expectations. I was ranked 140 at the start of the year and now I’m No. 67. I guess I should try to break it all down for you and start with the on-court stuff!

Part I

Memphis…

It all started in Memphis, where I played my first ATP tournament in the USA. For that reason it was really important to me, and I was excited to have the opportunity to compete. I knew it would be something I’d always remember, win or lose, and I hoped I could play to my potential and prove myself. 

It all happened so fast that week, winning four matches to make the final. It’s weird looking back and thinking, ‘Wow, that was actually the final.’ It’s such a big accomplishment for me and I’m hoping to be able to do it again moving forwards.

There was a lot of buzz after Memphis. With everything going on with the social media and interviews, it was a lot to take in. A while ago I was just so happy to have anyone from media talk to me, or interview me, or care. Now it’s become more about trying to find a healthy balance and make sure I don’t do too much or too little. It’s definitely something I’m getting used to and learning to handle better.

Delray Beach…

It was tough moving from Memphis to Delray because the conditions were so different. The first night I got to Delray, I couldn’t get a feel for the courts. It was a tough turnaround and that was definitely a lesson I learned the hard way – there’s going to be a lot of tough turnarounds when you have a good week in one tournament and have to rush over to the next.

Acapulco…(and Top 100!)

Cracking the Top 100 was always a possibility going into that week, so in Acapulco I felt like, ‘Don’t get your hopes up. It will happen.’ I had almost no points to defend up until after the US Open, so I felt pretty confident telling myself that at some point it’s going to happen this year. Just relax, play tennis and don’t worry about it. And that’s what I did. 

It was an amazing feeling when I found out I’d made it. Having dedicated most of my life to tennis, I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. It’s a huge milestone and it felt so great to reach it. It definitely surprised me reaching the Top 100 at this young age. I didn’t think I’d be here so soon, but at the same time, now that I’m here, I want to stay here. I want to keep moving forward. I don’t want to take any steps back. 

Indian Wells…

Indian Wells is a special tournament for me. Growing up in San Diego, it was an event I went to a lot as a kid and it always provided plenty of inspiration. I’ve seen so many great players play there over the years and I always dreamed that one day I might be one of them. I put a lot of importance on that tournament and I was really excited to play main draw there for the first time. 

In the first round I drew my good friend, Frances Tiafoe. Frances had beaten me every time we played in juniors and that made me really want to get the win in that first round. I’d been doing well and had had a lot of really good results up to that point. I definitely felt that it was my time, and I wanted it bad, but looking back, I think I put a little bit too much pressure on myself.

It was tough losing that match. I took it a lot harder than I usually do because I felt my approach and attitude was all wrong. Luckily for me, Miami was right around the corner and I didn’t have too much time to dwell on it. 

Miami…

Miami was a good experience. When I went out to play David Ferrer in the second round, the crowd was electric. Being a pro and having a crowd cheer for you through the ups and downs of a match feels amazing. It’s the best feeling knowing that people are rooting for you. I felt so much love from the crowd out there and I loved that people were behind me and supporting me.

The proudest moment of the match was when I was down a break and he was serving at 5-4, 30/0 for the first set. It felt pretty good that I was able to come back, break him, and give myself a chance in that set. Coming from behind like that against such a good player isn’t an easy thing to do.

Playing a high level first set like that definitely gave me a lot of confidence, but after that match I found myself incredibly frustrated with how physically I wasn’t able to keep up in the second set. Obviously playing against Ferrer is the ultimate test of physicality, but I really thought, having dedicated myself a year ago to getting stronger in the gym, that I would have more of a chance to keep up with him. Again, it was a lesson learned and I have been able to move on from it, take the positives, make a note of what needs to be improved, and most of all use that disappointment I felt as fuel to continue to motivate me to improve and get stronger. I will not let that happen again.

Don’t miss Part II!

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Twitter (@Taylor_Fritz97)
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MyATP

Rain has cancelled all play on Monday at Roland Garros. It’s the first complete washout in Paris since exactly 16 years ago – 30 May 2000.

Play was due to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time, but tournament organisers were forced to call off play at 1:45 p.m. local time.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, a three-time runner-up at Roland Garros, had been due to play No. 14 seed Roberto Bautista Agut for a place in the quarter-finals. Seventh seed Tomas Berdych was scheduled to play 2013 runner-up David Ferrer, No. 12 seed David Goffin was set to challenge Ernests Gulbis and No. 13 seed Dominic Thiem was slated to meet Marcel Granollers.

View Tuesday’s schedule here.