Taylor Fritz is gearing up to return to the matchcourt after a relatively disappointing Australian Open.
Fritz was beaten by Gael Monfils in the third round of the Australian Open, despite making a good start to the season.
This included winning a title at the opening event of the 2025 season, with Taylor Fritz clinching the United Cup for the USA.
Attempting to move on from his below par performance at the first major of the year, Fritz will now play the Dallas Open.
However, it will not be an easy start for the world number four, with Fritz playing a rival in the first round of the ATP 500 tournament.
Taylor Fritz admits match where he did not give full effort at the Australian Open
Prior to his third round defeat to Monfils, Fritz had made Grand Slam history by achieving something that neither Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer ever did.
This included dropping only eight games in his first two matches against Jenson Brooksby and Cristian Garin, who has been involved in controversy.
Fritz’s girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, spoke to him after his second round win at the Australian Open against Garin and published footage of the conversation on Youtube.
In this interaction with Riddle, Fritz explained why he does not enjoy winning sets 6-0.
“If you win a set 6-0 over someone you’re not supposed to really 6-0, which is most people considering like professional tennis, you’re hurting your chances at the next set for sure,” said Fritz.
The 27-year-old continued, “Because, okay the person like loosens up like a lot, because they’re like ‘I just got beaten 6-0, I can’t possibly get worse than this’. And then you get tight, you tighten up a little bit because you’re like ‘I just won 6-0 I can’t possibly get better than this’.
“But, if you beat someone like 6-2 and maybe they win those two games at the end of the set, they’ll like think what they’re doing is working. They’ll be like, ‘Okay, maybe it’s not that bad’, and then they’ll go and do the same thing the next set…Yes, it’s fully psychological.”
Fritz beat Garin, 6-2 6-1 6-0, at the Australian Open and was subsequently asked by his girlfriend about whether he purposefully ‘tanked’ that one game at 5-0 up to avoid winning the set 6-0.
While he did not admit to purposefully losing the game, Fritz did suggest that he didn’t put his all into that return game.
“I wouldn’t say I fully tanked it, but I didn’t give my best effort,” Fritz responded.
Fritz did not win his second set against Garin 6-0, but that was not the case in his first match against Brooksby and he still managed to come through that match in straight sets.
Taylor Fritz explains what was going through his head against Cristian Garin
While Fritz claims to not enjoy winning any sets 6-0, he did go onto explain that the situation of the match and conditions also played into his decision not to put 100% effort in at 5-0 up in the second set.
“The more important thing about why I had to do it here was, because he was on the side with the wind helping,” said Fritz. “It was so much easier for both of us to like all the games he won were on that side and then it was much easier for me playing on that side as you have the wind helping you. More pace on your serve, everything, your balls going through the court more.
“We are two games from ball change, so if I were to break him on that game for 6-0 we’d come back to start the third. I’m serving my last service game before the ball change, so the balls are like big. It’s going to be the toughest game for me to hold serve and I’d be against the wind so it’s the toughest, by far the toughest game for me to serve the whole match.
“I’m against the wind and right before ball change. So, I’d rather play that game at 5-1 where he doesn’t really care and even if I do get broken then whatever new balls will switch, I’ll hold serve anyways.
“But, he doesn’t really care about that 5-1 game that I’ll serve with dead balls into the wind, I’ll probably still hold then 6-1, then we’ll switch sides and we’ll get to start the third set with him on the last game before ball change, so he’ll have to serve into the wind with worn out balls to start the third so I can give myself the best opportunity to start the third set with a break.
“That’s the reason why I did it so I could set up to play, start the third set in the best spot for me to start the third set. I’m probably going to break him, because I’m with the wind.”
Fritz will spend the entirety of February in North America after the Dallas Open at tournaments in Delray Beach and Acapulco, ahead of the sunshine double of Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
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