How Taylor Fritz Became The Hot Shot at The Ultimate Tennis Showdown

What's up guys? Leslie Roberts here for young Hollywood, standing next to the number one tennis player in the United States of America. Nine in the world, Taylor Fritz. Good to see you back in Los Angeles.

Yeah, happy to, uh, happy to bring tennis back home in LA.

Let's even talk about that. I remember covering the LA Open more than a decade ago. So now it's back. Talk about this tournament. It's a little different, a little spicier.

Yeah, I'm excited. We have, uh, some different rules, uh, catering to a newer tennis audience, maybe a younger tennis audience. I'm excited that people can come here knowing absolutely nothing about tennis and, uh, know what's going on and hopefully enjoy it.

Now, they're going to enjoy it because the name of it is the Ultimate Tennis Showdown. It's not, you know, Wimbledon, which you just came from. Grass, hard court here in LA. It's night and day. It's it's got spice, it's electric, the music is blaring in the background. There are rules that are different. And, uh, music in between each point, what's going on here?

It's going to be exciting, uh, trying to cater towards like a younger, younger, uh, audience and and just make it fun, you know, it's uh, in a matter of three days, we'll play a whole tournament. You play a ton of matches and yeah, like I said, I hope, you know, the non-tennis fan will get into it and and be excited about it.

Now, you are from Southern California. You live here. This is home court advantage. What's it like to be home?

I mean, it's great. I spend a lot of time training at this uh, exact place where we're playing the event, so I definitely feel like I may be have a little bit of advantage, but I'm just excited to get out there and hopefully get that uh, that home home crowd uh, energy.

Yeah, we're at Dignity Health Sports Park and Galaxy, they're even playing here tomorrow. The buzz is going on. How does that make you feel too?

It's uh, it's exciting. Like I said, I'm I'm excited to get out there and kind of just feel what it's going to be like from the crowd. Hopefully I get a lot of uh, a lot of home support and hopefully it's a lot of people out there.

Now you're on the road a ton. You are a athlete through and through. Uh, talk about your routine because I know you're very strict, diet, exercise.

Yeah, I mean, it depends on when I'm training or when I'm at a tournament, but when I'm traveling, yeah, it's it's all about, I'd say my keys are like getting lots of sleep, uh, you know, trying my best to eat clean and and yeah, we just get in like, I don't know, three, four hours of training a day and and work hard, but try to stay healthy, uh, injury free as well.

I heard you drink a ice cold glass of water every day before you start the day. Is that true?

Yeah, I try. I mean, I try to have uh, cold water to start the day and like, uh, I read somewhere that like starts your, uh, your body's, um, speeds of your metabolism to start the day.

Well, here we are. This is the practice court before you get onto the main stage. Talk about your pre-game ritual because this is part of it, right? Get the hips warmed up, everything?

Yeah, I mean, we're just going to have a have a hit, go like, I don't know, 30, 30, 45 minutes, feel it out, kind of just go through all of the all of the shots, everything I'm going to need when I get out there because once I get out there, I just have to be uh, ready to go. So I'm really just, you know, getting warm.

Okay, you said the word shot. Your nickname in this tournament is called the Hot Shot.

Yeah.

Uh, how did that come about?

You know, you get some options. I I picked that one. I feel like it's fitting to my, I guess, uh, personality and the way that I I guess carry myself on the court, not so much when I'm off the court, but more so how I am on the court and yeah, I I I took it and I went with it.

How would you say you are on the court versus like how the fans think you are?

I'm I'm not totally sure. I know how I am off the court is much more just like calm, relaxed, like very like California style person. I think on the court I'm much more like uh, into it, like focused, fiery, like stuff like that.

Yeah, uh, this is fiery here. Talk about your opponents because I know you're on the road with them all the time playing.

Yeah, I mean, we we all know each other. Um, we got, you know, everyone here is like a top player, has been at least, you know, a top player. So, um, we all know each other. There's nothing new. I'm friends with a lot of the guys and I don't know, it's going to be exciting to to play against all of them and and see what happens.

Is this tournament any kind of less pressure than the others or not really?

Um, it's it's different in a sense that, you know, it's not it's not the main tour. It's not going to affect, I guess, um, our rankings, but we're we're still all playing for for the prize money and the pride and and, you know, I'm I'm going to treat it treat it the same as any others. I'm sure the other guys will too.

I mean, you have some amazing numbers. Top American player in the world right now. Uh, when you wake up in the morning and you look in the mirror, do you think that? That's an amazing title to have.

I mean, it's yeah, it it's something that you know, you told me that that's what it was going to be like a long time ago when I was a kid, I would have been pumped, but uh, yeah, we're we're we're where we are now and and I just want to continue to get better and and go higher and I also kind of have to, you know, I have to defend my spot as well. So it's it's exciting. It's it's an honor.

Well, you talked about being a kid. I want to find out how you got not even to this height, obviously, but how you got here from probably playing, uh, when you were a kid, just going to practice like once a week maybe.

Yeah, I mean, I played I I I come I come from a tennis family. It's pretty tough for me not to play, but I played I played every different type of sport growing up, literally everything and um, tennis wasn't necessarily my favorite sport, but it's just what I became, I guess, the best at and I wanted to be a pro athlete. So when I got to a bit of an older age, like 15, I decided that, um, this was going to be it for me. So I dropped everything and I I for real like put all my time and commitment into it and yeah, here we are.