When asked to pinpoint the key to achieving greater consistency at the Grand Slams, Taylor Fritz has a simple answer – “Being more locked in".
Fritz, a hard serving 192cm right-hander, has long been earmarked for big things, ever since he became the youngest American to reach an ATP final since Michael Chang in Memphis back in 2016. After all, tennis is in his DNA. His mother Kathy was a former top-10 player in the 1970s, and his father Guy also played on the professional tour.
But like so many young American hopes over the past two decades, Fritz has found Grand Slam success stubbornly elusive. He’s made four finals on the tour, including a title in Eastbourne last summer, and while his efforts have seen him seeded No.29 here, so far a couple of third-round showings is as good as it's got at the majors.
However, there are signs the tide is beginning to turn, both for Fritz and many of his once highly touted American peers from junior days. Following Frances Tiafoe’s breakthrough run to the Australian Open quarterfinals last year, Fritz and Tommy Paul have both impressed in Melbourne this week.
Paul stunned No.18 seed Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set thriller to make the third round, before running out of gas against Marton Fucsovics earlier on Friday. Fritz showed equal grit to come from two sets to love down to stun Kevin Anderson late on Thursday night, and will now take on No.5 seed Dominic Thiem in a highly anticipated third-round clash on Saturday.
These successes mean that America’s male players have achieved their most successful Australian Open in over a decade, with five reaching round three.
“One of the main things I wanted to focus on this year was having good results at the big events,” said Fritz.
“Being seeded helps you. But I’m just trying to lock in as much as possible for every single match. Too often sometimes I’d come off the court and be like, ‘Maybe I could have given more here, more there'.”
Seeing his close friends achieve success on the big occasion has also helped inspire Fritz, who was in Paul’s box for his win over Dimitrov and the duo are playing doubles together this week. “What he did was insane,” said Fritz. “Like really insane. That was awesome.”
Having sampled the electricity of Margaret Court Arena during the latter stages of Paul’s clash with Dimitrov, Fritz – who usually cuts a laconic figure out on court – seemed particularly pumped up as he fought back from the verge of defeat against two-time Grand Slam finalist Anderson.
“I was a bit down, down a break in the third but I played a really good defensive lob over him, won that point and that really fired me up,” said Fritz.
“I felt momentum shifted after that and he seemed a little tired. I felt really fresh, really confident in my fitness and I knew I was gonna be good to go.”
It’s sometimes easy to forget that Fritz is still just 22. He got married to teenage sweetheart Raquel Pedraza nearly four years ago, and became a father to young son Jordan at the start of 2017. Jordan turned three earlier this week, and with his family often staying at home in California, Fritz admitted that touring life can sometimes be hard.
“It’s tough not being able to see my son as much as I’d like to,” he said.
“I made sure he got his gifts and got to see him playing with them, but I really wish I could be there with him and just teach him stuff you know. It is tough, wishing you could be there more often, but I’m just trying to make the best of that I can. I’m out here working, so I can give him everything he wants.”
However, while on the road, Fritz has formed a camaraderie with Paul and Australia’s Nick Kyrgios over their shared love of gaming.
Fritz, by his own admission, is the standout player of the group, to the extent that he believes he could have forged a career as an e-sports professional if tennis had not worked out.
“I’d hope so,” he said.
“I mean, the games that I’m really good at, like FIFA, I don’t play with the other guys because I’m honestly just too good. But we’ll play Call of Duty. Nick is very, very good at it and Tommy’s pretty good so we’ll play together.”
Such is the seriousness of the competitions that the group often play for money against others online. “At FIFA, Nick and I have had some players owing us some serious money,” Fritz smiled.
“But we let ‘em off. I don’t wanna say how much, but we let ‘em off. We were nice.”