Taylor Fritz: "I think that Laver Cup's an amazing event, it is a similar feel to other team events"
According to Taylor Fritz, the Laver Cup is a fantastic competition since it emulates the atmosphere of other such tournaments.
Team World hit the ground running on the second day of the Laver Cup international tennis tournament, leaving Team Europe in the dust in Vancouver. Taylor Fritz knocked Andrey Rublev out of the park with a score of 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), adding fuel to Team World's already blazing fire in the three-day showdown.
Both Fritz and Rublev exchanged aces, each reaping the rewards of their powerful serves. But Taylor Fritz was in the driver's seat, seizing 14 out of his 77 total points at the net.
Taylor Fritz, when asked about playing team events, spilled the beans in his post-match press conference, saying that he is a whole different ball game when it comes to team events. He is bursting with energy and motivation when he is representing a team.
"I guess I could be a bit biased towards it. I'd like to see more because I love team events. I feel like my record in team events is really good. I play much better in team events. I feel like when I have a team to play for, I get more pumped up. You know, I love it," he stated.
The American youngster likened the Laver Cup to other team events, saying that they are pretty much similar.
However, Taylor Fritz cited an example of Roger Federer’s retirement from tennis last year at the Laver Cup, which made the event a little different from the other ones.
"I think that Laver Cup's an amazing event. It is a similar feel to other team events. You know, at times, like especially something like last year when Roger's retiring and we're looking on the other side and it's Novak and Roger and Rafa and Andy, yeah, something like that feelsdifferent, I guess, from the other events (smiling)," he mentioned.
Taylor Fritz, 25, referring to team energy, further highlighted that he felt a lot more excited regardless of the team he was playing for.
"But, you know, the thing they all have in common is that team energy, I feel always more fired up to play when I'm playing whether it be Team World or team U.S. or whatever it is," he added.
Taylor Fritz on Roger Federer’s retirement at the 2022 Laver Cup
Taylor Fritz claimed that seeing Roger Federer hang up his racket was a memory to cherish from the 2022 Laver Cup. In his final professional competition, Fritz competed against Roger Federer as a member of Team World in the 2022 Laver Cup.
In Federer's final doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal, the pair fell to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, 6-4, 6-7(2), 9-11.
Fritz, who watched the match from the sidelines, can still recall the exact moment the 20-time Grand Slam winner played his final game.
"Yeah, like, being there for Roger's retirement, getting to talk to him, shake his hand, all that when he's retiring, that's something that I'll never forget," Fritz said during his pre-tournament US Open press conference.