SAN FRANCISCO – Taylor Fritz enters the Laver Cup as the World No. 5, the highest ranked American, and the highest ranked player on Team World ahead of the three-day competition against Team Europe that starts Friday in the Chase Center.
Fritz reached the semifinals at Wimbledon before getting knocked out by Carlos Alcaraz in a tight four-set match. At the U.S. Open, he was eliminated by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals one year after he reached the U.S. Open final.
The Sporting News caught up with Fritz ahead of his fifth appearance in the Laver Cup, where he carries a 5-2 record (4-2 singles, 1-0 doubles) into 2025.
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Sporting News Q&A with Taylor Fritz
SN: You are a veteran of this event. What makes you keep coming back with the tennis schedule as crowded as it is?
Fritz: The first couple years they had this event, it was just so cool, such a big event. And I wasn’t part of the team those years, and I just wanted to be a part of it so bad. So I think that when I am now in the spot where I can be on the team, I feel like it’s an honor.
I think it’s a really fun event. It’s not because it lacks intensity. We’re all obviously trying as hard as we can. There’s a lot on the line, but getting the chance to compete with teammates and have guys on the bench (is fun). When you play an individual sport year round, it’s something really cool. So I don’t look at it so much as an added week to the calendar. I think it’s an event that I always enjoy coming to.
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SN: How does the Laver Cup compare to the Davis Cup in terms of a team competition, having teammates, that sort of thing?
Fritz: It is different. There’s more guys here. It’s similar in a lot of ways. I just feel like a really nice connection with all these guys who are not necessarily all from the same country.
SN: One of Roger Federer’s goals with this event was to connect the present with the past in terms of honoring Rod Laver and having captains who were legends a generation ago. What has been your experience with that aspect of it?
Fritz: I’ve loved that part of it. I loved over the last few years being around (John McEnroe) and having Johnny Mac on the court and in the locker room. It’s so cool. And then even today, just getting to be on the court as well with Pat (Rafter) and Andre (Agassi) and getting to just ask them questions, pick their brain. It’s so amazing to hear their thoughts when they’re on the court with me while I’m playing in practice. It’s really cool.
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SN: You are the top rated American among a group that’s been as successful as any group in a while. What kind of pride do you take in that?
Fritz: I mean, it’s cool. It’s a really good group. I think we all used to push each other for a long time. It’s nice to be on top, but I guess I’m not thinking about it as much. I’m chasing other things. I care more about the world ranking than I do the American rankings.
SN: As far as chasing your goals, what are your priorities?
Fritz: Yeah, it’s obviously the majors. That’s the number one goal. I’m kind of just focused on big titles like Masters titles and getting a major title and ranking as high as possible, I feel like, outside of just those things, I’ve done most of what I want to do, so that’s all that’s left for me.
SN: Are you an NBA fan? Are you excited to play in the Chase Center where the Warriors play?
Fritz: I played basketball growing up. I stopped in high school when I basically just dropped everything and played tennis, but I was playing basketball up until then. So I’m more of a player than I am a fan. I don’t watch a ton of NBA, just the playoffs and stuff, but it’s really cool playing in this venue. It’s like, kind of walking out there and seeing it is sick.
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