"Depends on how much Stefanos Tsitsipas' dropshotting me" - Taylor Fritz jokes about having enough shoes after Australian Open malfunction
Two years after he came up short against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Australian Open fourth round, Taylor Fritz finds himself facing the same opponent on the exact same stage.
Fritz booked his spot in the last-16 after ousting Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in the third round, coming through with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 win on Friday (19 January). Besides a feisty opponent, the American also had to battle past a couple of gear malfunctions as he was spotted sporting a shoe with a hole in the middle. The shoelaces on his footwear also came off at one point and his struggle did not go unnoticed.
During his on-court interview, Fritz was asked whether he would have enough shoes for his next round. In response, the American joked that it depended on how many drop shots Stefanos Tsitsipas would be making him retrieve.
“I mean, it depends on how much Stefanos Tsitsipas is dropshotting me, you know, Taylor Fritz said .
The top-ranked American said he puts a hole in his shoe every time he is forced to slide all the way up to the net to retrieve a drop shot, but assured everyone that he would have enough shoes in the bag to last him the tournament.
“Every time he dropshots me, I slide up and put a hole in my shoe, so yeah, but I’ll have enough,” he joked during the on-court interview.
“I'm excited for the next match” - Taylor Fritz ahead of Australian Open showdown against Stefanos Tsitsipas
Looking ahead, Taylor Fritz said at his recent press conference that he was excited to be back in the fourth round of the Australian Open and was feeling confident about his game.
The 26-year-old said the experience of having played against Stefanos Tsitsipas on a number of occasions will come in handy as he would know what to expect going into the last-16 showdown.
“I'm obviously excited to make it back to the round of 16 here,” Fritz said. I'm excited for the next match. I feel confident. I'm playing well. I've played Stef a good amount, so I have an idea of what I have to expect and how I want to play it as well."
Tsitsipas leads Fritz in the current head-to-head record with a 3-1 margin. The Greek player had won their 2022 Australian Open fourth-round encounter in five sets.