Taylor Fritz: "Big titles are so much easier to win"
Taylor Fritz spoke about the dominance of the "Big Three" in an interview with Clay Magazine. And about a big match against a representative: the quarter-final duel in Wimbledon with Rafael Nadal.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Dec 26, 2022, 09:41 am
If Taylor Fritz's season was marked by one player, it's without a doubt Rafael Nadal. Against the Spaniard, the American won the biggest title of his career in front of a home crowd in Indian Wells. And against the Spaniard a few weeks later in the Wimbledon quarter-finals, the youngster suffered one of the most bitter defeats of his career so far.
In any case, the victory in Indian Wells was "crazy", as Fritz emphasized to Clay Magazine. For games like this he plays tennis. "Before the game I wasn't even sure how to play it and then I win," recalled the American. Also in Indian Wells, as it turned out later, Nadal played in pain. This in no way diminished Fritz's triumph.
Fritz and the defeat at Wimbledon
It should be different a few weeks in Wimbledon, when Nadal had to fight again, but was supposed to win the match - in five sets and in a very dramatic way. Fritz didn't really want to let the fact that he then had to listen to the fact that he couldn't win against an injured player stand: "People don't understand tennis the way we understand tennis," said the American.
During the rallies, Nadal's abdominal muscle injury was hardly noticed, with the exception of maybe a few games, as Fritz emphasized. And the fact that the Spaniard served more slowly for almost the entire match didn't really suit the world number ninth: "I actually had the feeling that it was almost a bit more difficult for me to hit strong, deep returns with the loose serve ."
Fritz sees his chance
In any case, one thing is certain for the American with a look at the Bigger Picture: the dominance of the "Big Three" - Nadal, Djokovic and Federer taken together - was a special time in tennis: "It was pretty difficult in this era of Grand Slams to win," says Fritz. Especially since all three dominators acted particularly dominantly on one surface. "These three are the hardest versions you can get."
Namely: "I've never played against Rafa on clay courts, but we know that he's a tough one. Federer on faster surfaces. Novak on hard court indoors," says Fritz, for whom it is clear: with their gradual departure, things change tennis too: "I wouldn't say it's a relief, but I definitely have the feeling that the big titles are so much easier to win now than they used to be," said the 25-year-old. "I'm more excited because I feel like these titles aren't as hard to come by as they used to be. The door is starting to open a little bit more and you can see it."