Fritz explains his big change to overcome the quarterfinal barrier in a Slam

Carlos Navarro | 4 Sep 2024 | 01.40

Taylor Fritz celebrates after his victory over Zverev. Source: Getty

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Taylor Fritz has experienced today one of the most important moments of his sports career. The American had never reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam before, a streak that was broken a few hours ago after defeating Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open. The key? A great performance in the tiebreaks that determined the outcome of the match and a confidence and self-assurance much greater than on other occasions. No one better than him to delve into those feelings, all after a press conference that is worth listening to.

- Feelings after the most important victory of his career

"I stepped onto the court feeling very good, ready for the challenge. I think in many of my previous Grand Slam quarterfinals, I stepped onto the court a bit nervous, but today I felt very good from the beginning, ready to give it my all. Perhaps I started feeling more nervous as the match progressed because I felt he was playing a bit tense. That, in a way, caused me to play somewhat tense as well. However, I was able to hit many good serves when needed, played some crucial points very well. I am very excited to reach my first semifinal."

- Winning mentality: not satisfied with reaching his first semifinals in a Slam

"It's great to reach the semifinals, but I have the mentality that the job is not done, I will continue to think match by match, as I have done throughout the tournament, focusing on my next match. I would say that today I stepped onto the court differently: they always used to ask me, when I lost in semifinals, what I needed to do to take a step further. My answer was always that I had to keep reaching these situations, that I would feel more comfortable in them and improve. That's what happened: I no longer felt that the quarterfinals, in my mind, were as big as in the past. I felt like I was playing any other tournament."

- How he approached the match against an old acquaintance like Zverev

"I don't think many things changed compared to our latest matches: after all, the points from the baseline are just a small part of the match since the serve is so important for both of us. We both get many free points with our serve. There was an adjustment I had to make in the middle of the match: he started to return my slice serves much better, so I began to vary my serve. He broke me in the second set because he started to get used to that serve, so I had to look for more alternatives than in the past. One thing that I believe we both do very well is that when the opponent turns with his forehand, we attack the opponent's forehand well. We have a lot of success when attacking with the forehand, either crosscourt or down the line, and that's something I used a lot in the beginning, he expected me to attack his forehand aggressively."

- Tiafoe and Paul reached semifinals before him... Was it difficult to see that he was the American from his group lagging behind?

"I was always very happy for them. Honestly, it excited me. How did I hold up mentally? Well... every time I was in the quarterfinals, I faced Djokovic. That way, I could protect my ego, telling myself that (laughs). Then I had the opportunity at Wimbledon and didn't face Novak: my three previous quarterfinals had been against Novak, Novak, and Rafa. Then one against Musetti... and he was far superior, played better than me, and I lost. That's when I thought that excuse no longer worked (smiles). No, I was always happy for my friends, seeing them succeed: if anything, it gave me confidence to think that I could also do it."

- Is the mental aspect the greatest evolution of his game in recent years?

"I wouldn't necessarily say it's just about playing the important points well: in the first set today, I had three set points on his serve and couldn't convert any, it's tough. Winning tiebreaks, especially if you're a big server, makes a difference. You would be surprised to see how good a player can be when they win a couple of important points here and there. Sometimes when I play well, I come out on top in those moments, and sometimes when I play poorly, I don't. In Montreal and Cincinnati, I was very bad at seizing those situations, played crucial points very poorly. I exited early in both tournaments. Sometimes it makes all the difference. I have done a great job in that aspect this year."

- Tiafoe vs. Dimitrov, a duel for a semifinal opponent

"If it's Grigor, clearly the crowd will be on my side. It would be an interesting match, we played several times, and I have faced many people in this tournament that would be good preparation for Grigor, people who slice backhand a lot and play short. It would be interesting, no doubt: he is a tremendous player, and when he's on, he's really on. If it's Foe... it will be very fun. Thrilling. It would be a delight for the fans, knowing that at least one of us will make it to the final."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fritz explica su gran cambio para superar la barrera de los cuartos en un Slam

Taylor Fritz