"Hopefully she says yes" - Taylor Fritz makes special offer to Elena Rybakina after their mixed doubles success ahead of Indian Wells
Taylor Fritz made a special offer to Elena Rybakina after their successful partnership at the Tie Break Tens event ahead of Indian Wells 2025. The American said that he was hopeful of a positive response from his partner.
Fritz and Rybakina teamed up for a mixed doubles exhibition event called the Eisenhower Cup (Tie Break Tens) on Tuesday, March 4, at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Interestingly, Rybakina was a last-minute addition to replace Taylor Fritz’s usual partner, Aryna Sabalenka, who decided against competing this time.
The American, who won the title with Sabalenka in 2023, enjoyed success yet again with his new partner. Fritz and Rybakina, both former Indian Wells champions, started with a win against Daniil Medvedev and Amanda Anisimova (10-4). They followed this win with a victory against defending champions Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro (10-6).
In the final, the pair put on a dominant display against Tommy Paul and Madison Keys (10-4) to clinch the trophy and cash prize worth a whopping $200,000. Taylor Fritz was ecstatic about the result and shed light on their strategy after the match.
"The strategy was just, take care of our serves – we’re both big servers. Before we started, I said, you know, I think if we both serve well, I don’t know how we’re really gonna lose."
Elena Rybakina chimed in, saying:
"It was really fun and also Taylor was giving me some advice on the return. Since the guys’ serve is so good it’s not easy to return. But I think we did great. Yeah, super happy."
Fritz also revealed that he wished to partner with the 2022 Wimbledon champion at the US Open later this year.
"I just asked Elena if she wants to play mixed at the US Open, so let’s see. Hopefully she says yes," he said, smiling.
"Hopefully, I’ll play," Elena Rybakina responded.
Fritz’s proposal came just days after he backed the US Open’s controversial decision to alter mixed doubles eligibility and the schedule. The tournament announced that the 2025 edition will feature a 16-team draw, with eight teams earning direct entry through their singles rankings.
The event is also shifted to the week before the singles main draw, contrary to its previous schedule, which clashed with the final rounds of singles matches. Taylor Fritz called the revamped model “really exciting,” noting that he “genuinely loves playing mixed doubles.”
Taylor Fritz and Elena Rybakina receive bye in Indian Wells openers
Taylor Fritz, the third seed in men’s singles, and Elena Rybakina, the seventh seed in women’s singles, have received a bye in the opening round of Indian Wells 2025.
Fritz is chasing his second Masters 1000 title after his victory against Rafael Nadal in the 2022 edition. Meanwhile, Kazakh is in pursuit of her third WTA 1000 title. Her maiden trophy in the category came at the same tournament against Aryna Sabalenka in 2023. This was followed by her glory in Rome the same year.
Rybakina will kick off her Indian Wells journey against the winner of Marie Bouzkova and Suzan Lamens. The American, meanwhile, will begin his campaign against either Sebastian Baez or Matteo Gigante in the second round.