"That cold-blooded feeling is finally back": Taylor Fritz regains former on-court mentality

The 24-year-old American, coming off a runner-up showing in St. Petersburg, says returning to the mindset he held as a teenager has contributed to his recent successes.

ByKamakshi Tandon

Published Nov 01, 2021

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Moscow Hot Shot: Fritz Backhand

Taylor Fritz is playing the best tennis of his career, and that's by competing like he did at the start of his career.

The 24-year-old American, who reached the final of St. Petersburg this week, has also made the semifinals of five other events this season, including the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.

"Anyone saw me two years ago, and the way I play now knows that I am playing with much more confidence and hitting tougher balls, using my weaponsso much more and finally playing the tennis I know I should have been playing for a long time. It feels really good," he told press at Moscow.

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Fritz opens his Paris Masters campaign Tuesday against Lorenzo Sonego.

The son of two pros and a former top junior, Fritz has slowly ascended the ranks on tour and this season briefly became the No. 1-ranked American. He got injured at Roland Garros and needed knee surgery, but even then, returned to competition in just four weeks.

Fritz says part of his recent success is getting back to the mentality he had first starting on tour.

"It feels incredible coming to the important key points of matches, no second-guessing or worrying about things—just show up and play my best, hit my best shots at these kind of moments. That’s what I did when I was 17-18 years old, kind of coming up on the tour. That’s what made me a very good player when I was younger. That cold-blooded feeling is finally back," he said.

Fritz is No. 26 in the rankings.