Fritz’s Sacrifice: ‘You Need To Be Working So Hard That It’s Not Fun’
Fritz’s Sacrifice: ‘You Need To Be Working So Hard That It’s Not Fun’
Netflix’s Break Point told the story of the biggest victory of Taylor Fritz’s career, when he won his first ATP Masters 1000 crown at the BNP Paribas Open in his native Southern California.
But there was no camera crew following the American when he was grinding his way through the junior ranks and the ATP Challenger Tour — periods filled with difficult moments, hard work and sacrifice with no guarantee of success.
“I’ve given my whole life to the sport,” he reflected in a recent interview with the ATP Tour. “Parties, high school, none of that… college, didn’t happen. I definitely traded a normal life. I knew what I wanted, I knew I wanted to be a professional athlete.
“I’ve had so many days where you just question why you’re even doing it. That’s how hard you need to be pushing yourself all the time. You need to be working so hard that it’s not fun.”
Fritz is certainly having fun now as a member of the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. The American No. 1 first broke into that elite group in October 2022, just weeks before his 25th birthday that same month.
That milestone moment came after he won his fourth career title (and third of 2022) at the ATP 500 in Tokyo, where he beat countryman and fellow Break Point star Frances Tiafoe in the final. But after years at the game’s highest level, Fritz has learned to deal with the inevitable setbacks that come with life on the Tour.
“It’s not easy. You play a sport where every single week, everyone loses but one person,” he said. “You’ve got to get used to losing.
“But I love what we do and it’s definitely worth all the sacrifice to be where I am right now.”