Fritz doesn't hide: "It would be very tough to end my career without winning a Grand Slam"

It is not just any objective; in fact, it might be that of the vast majority. Winning a Grand Slam is the dream of Taylor Fritz, who just a few hours ago started his journey in the US Open 2026 with a strong performance.

Darwin Blanch tried, but he could barely take nine games in a match that always had the same owner. Once it was over, Taylor Fritz met with the media to reflect on this first victory, discuss his obsession with lifting a Grand Slam soon, and, of course, the excitement it would bring if it were here at home. For now, he is six steps away from the marked goal.

A debut with room for improvement

“It was good. I think there are always some nerves in the first round of the Open. I don’t expect to go out and play amazingly. I think I served well. Apart from that, it was okay. I think there’s a lot of room for improvement."

Assessment of his opponent, Darwin Blanch

“I couldn’t really see myself, but I did see that he’s on Ashe, he’s young, and I think he definitely felt a bit of pressure. When I was young, I had matches where I wasn’t expected to win. I just went out and played, and I played amazingly because there was no pressure. Then there are matches like this, on a big court, where you really want to play well and you’re just feeling it a bit. I don’t think he necessarily played his best match. For me, it was a bit lucky because I expected and was prepared for him to play really well.”

The nerves of playing in New York

“I wasn’t really nervous before the match. You just get nervous when you step onto the court. It’s like your heart starts beating fast, you’re not thinking as calmly, and things seem to happen a bit quicker than they really do. I think I get nervous in the first match of every Grand Slam, probably more at the US Open, and I’ve been like this for the past few years. It hasn’t prevented me from getting good results here, so I don’t give it too much importance. It’s just part of it. It’s normal.”

Fritz claims to be a better player than two years ago

“I think I do many things better. In fact, I think I serve better now than when I reached the final. From the baseline, I would say I’m about the same. During that particular week, my body felt really good and I was moving exceptionally well. Honestly, I think I’m the same player or maybe even better. It just depends on the form and the confidence you have at that moment. I’d say my level is quite similar.”

The limit with injuries

“I’m probably not the best person to ask. I think I’ve played a couple of times when I probably shouldn’t have. But, in general, for me, it’s when it’s all you can think about while you’re playing. If you can’t play and somehow forget about the injury for certain moments, if the pain is constantly reminding you of it, you probably shouldn’t be playing. At that point, it’s very hard to really concentrate on playing if you’re thinking about it all the time.”

Taylor Fritz reveals the biggest obsession of his career

“Winning a Grand Slam is super important to me. I think I would be quite disappointed at the end of my career if I couldn’t achieve it. In my life, every time I’ve set a big goal, I’ve always achieved it. It would be very tough for me not to do so.”

His lifelong friends

“I don’t think the wedding made me suddenly realize how much I love these guys. I think we’ve all known that for a long time. We’re very close friends. It’s just a good time when we can all spend time together outside the tennis environment, which is quite rare. It’s great to be with these guys I’ve known for, well, almost 15 years. We are all very close, and I would consider many of them as my closest friends.”

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Fritz no se esconde: "Sería muy duro acabar mi carrera sin ganar un Grand Slam"