Can Taylor Fritz become the first American man after Andy Roddick (2003) to lift the US Open trophy? He sealed a comfortable victory in R1 against Camilo Ugo Carabelli and R2, looking quite impressive against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini. Fritz has been in good form this year and has grabbed two titles. It’ll be a historic moment for not just him but also his tennis-loving family if he really manages to do that ‘unthinkable’! We know his mother, Kathy May, was a tennis player, but who else from his family played the sport?

For the unversed, Kathy reached three Grand Slam QF in her career and won 7 WTA titles. Even his father, Guy Fritz (who later divorced Kathy May), and his uncle, Harry Fritz, also tried their luck in the sport. His father is now a tennis coach and has played an enormous role in building the foundation of his son’s career.

Speaking about the influence of his father in his career, Fritz once said, “When you’re a kid, you don’t know what’s right and wrong, so you kind of just have to listen to what they tell you, and I’m just fortunate that I had people around me who knew what they were talking about.“

On the other hand, his uncle was quite a popular name back in the 70s and 80s. Harry Fritz was a left-handed player and played collegiate tennis for East Texas State. He was also a member of their 1972 NAIA championship team. His best record in singles has been reaching the R1 at the 1980 US Open, and in doubles, he made it through to the R2 at the 1981 Wimbledon Championships.

Taylor Fritz loves playing golf and FIFA, and he’s also a big fan of Manchester United and Los Angeles Chargers (NFL). He started playing the racquet sport when he was just 2 years old. Seeing his family being deeply involved with the sport, Fritz was perhaps never confused about picking the right one for his career.

His father, Guy, had coached the 2008 Junior US Open champion, CoCo Vandeweghe, and then in 2015, he helped his son win the same title. A year later, he got the US Olympic Development Coach of the Year Award. Was he ever pressurized by his tennis-loving family members to pick this racquet sport, though?

Taylor Fritz feels it’s “cool” to do what his parents have done happily over the years

During an interview with Haute Living in 2023, Fritz was asked whether anyone ever pressured him to pick tennis over other sports. In reply, the 26-year-old said, “I feel like I always had the idea that it was cool to do what your parents did, so I played tennis.” He admitted although he liked tennis from an early age, there were times when he used to hate it simply because he enjoyed other sports too.

“There was never pressure from my parents to play, so I just tried everything until I hit an age [15] where I had to make a decision and pick one,” said Fritz. Both of his parents had quite different roles in shaping his career. He revealed, “My mom kind of took a step back, but she’s gone to tournaments with me and it’s worked out great.“ Fritz spoke about how she helped him make many important decisions during the early stages of her career. His mom, Kathy, always had a watchful eye during his practice sessions and even attended some of his matches in the early days.

Meanwhile, his father, Guy, was more of a “hard critic.” Fritz initially faced difficulty coping with his comments, but his father’s contribution to his success was also enormous! Reflecting on getting harsh criticism from his dad, Fritz said, “That is something I wish could have been different because I’m the type of player that builds off confidence and someone telling me all the right things I’m doing and not someone telling me all the wrong things.” Guy Fritz always believed that he’d make his son a true champion. Perhaps this is what led him to be a bit more critical about his weaknesses.

There were times when Taylor’s mother used to tell him that he should look for another coach. However, Fritz always felt his father was the best coach, and he will always care more than any other coach. If Fritz does well at the home slam, we can imagine how proud these three people would be. He has already defeated Berrettini in the R2 by 6-3, 7-6(1), 6-1. Do you think Fritz has a chance of winning this year’s US Open?