"I traded a normal life" - Taylor Fritz talks about his sacrifices to become a professional athlete
On Monday, February 13, Taylor Fritz achieved his career-best ranking of No. 7. He recently reflected on his journey of becoming a professional tennis player and stated that he was proud to have made it this far.
Since turning pro in 2015, the 25-year-old has amassed four ATP singles titles. His biggest prize came at the 2022 Indian Wells, where he beat Andrey Rublev in the semifinals and Rafael Nadal in the title clash. The American broke into the top 10 rankings in October last year and played in the ATP Finals for the first time, courtesy of an abdominal injury to Carlos Alcaraz.
During a recent conversation with the ATP Tour, Fritz remarked that since childhood, he was extremely clear in pursuing his dream of becoming a professional athlete. He added that staying among the top players required an unbelievably high amount of hard work.
"I've given my whole life to the sport. Parties, high school, none of that, college didn't happen. I definitely traded a normal life," Fritz said. "I knew what I wanted, I knew I wanted to be a professional athlete. I have had so many days where you just question, like, 'Why are you even doing it?' That's how hard you need to be pushing yourself all the time. You need to be working so hard that it's not fun."
The World No. 7 further stated that tennis players lose much more frequently than they win, which can be a difficult reality to come to terms with.
"A lot of people around me know that I can be in a pretty bad place if it's not going well for me. It's not easy, we play a sport where every single week, everyone loses but one person. So you gotta get used to losing. But I love what we do and it's definitely worth all the sacrifice to be where I am right now," he added.
When the sacrifices pay off... 🎾
@Taylor_Fritz97 describes why it's all worth it. https://t.co/UiAMb42q0N
Taylor Fritz to take on Emilio Gomez in Delray Beach Open Round of 16
After a shocking second-round exit against Alexei Popyrin at the 2023 Australian Open, Taylor Fritz played in the ATP 250 Dallas Open. While he won his first two matches against Jack Sock and Marcos Giron, the 25-year-old fell to Yibing Wu in the third round.
His next assignment begins tomorrow in Florida, where he will face Emilio Gomez in the second round of the Delray Beach Open. Being the top seed at the tournament, Taylor Fritz received a bye in the first round.