Now Working With Taylor Fritz, Roger Federer’s Former Coach Dishes Out a Discouraging Verdict on the American’s ‘Thinking Too Much’ Attitude

Tennis highly relies on tactics and presence of mind besides athletic prowess. Coco Gauff grasped the basics of the ‘Winning Ugly’ mentality from her coach, Brad Gilbert. She became undefeatable ever since and even surpassed Iga Swiatek‘s winning streak. For decades, Gilbert has asserted that sport is about winning and executing the right strategy in the required ratio. Roger Federer secured his world-class records by gracefully annihilating his opponents. The Swiss Maestro had the back of Paul Annacone for three years as a coach from 2010-2013.

The American coaches the promising young Taylor Fritz, who grew up watching Federer’s games. But concern abounded Annacone, who reflected on a strange thinking habit of the young champion that might risk his game.

Roger Federer’s former coach sheds light on Taylor Fritz’s complications

The American champion hails from a family of athletes and has been close to the sport since childhood. He knew what the sport demanded, and Fritz signed up to sacrifice an everyday teenage life to emerge as a professional athlete. The American works with two coaches, including Annacone, who coached champions like Pete Sampras, Federer, Sloane Stephens and Stan Wawrinka.

The World No.8 needs Annacone’s expertise and analysis to make it big in the circuit. Fritz played numerous sports before he found his liking in tennis. In a Spotify podcast, ‘Baseline Intelligence,’ with Jonathon Stokke, Fritz’s coach discussed the importance of thinking and strategizing a game while stating the American star as an example.

The tennis commentator described the Top-10 champion as ‘cerebral.’ He said, “A lot of people tend to overthink. You know, Taylor’s, for instance, is an example of someone that’s very cerebral. He (Fritz) likes to think about lots of different possibilities.” Sampras’ ex-coach opines that Fritz’s tendency to get in his own head complicates intricate details for him, thus affecting the American’s game.

Annacone shared, “I think there are times where he may be overcomplicates it for himself instead of sticking with the definition of who he is as a player.” Federer’s former coach also quoted how the Indian Wells Masters winner breaks out things and analyzes various probabilities, focusing on himself, which might derail his path.

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Roger Federer’s ex-coach provides a rare glimpse into the American top seed’s mentality

King Roger’s former coach offered a glimpse into how the former World No.5 strategizes in his games. Annacone revealed his coachee’s headspace, saying, “Okay, if I do this, and I do it, well, kind of doesn’t matter what the other guy does. And if I don’t do it, well, then I got to figure things out. And I’ve got to figure out how to tweak it.” But the rising American star is only 25 years old, competing with top seeds younger than him, and the anxiety is a natural by-product of high-stress games.

In tennis, every game, set, and match matters, and one match can turn a player’s career upside down. To adapt to high-pressure situations, overthinking serves as a defense mechanism. Surviving in a sport many professionals described as ‘lonely’ is as complex as winning games. It is only natural that Fritz analyzes too much because one good game, one tour title, or one Grand Slam does not guarantee success.

The bar was set to 20 plus Slams and any athlete would aim to achieve high standards. Novak Djokovic may add more numbers to the game, making it impregnable for the rising champions even to consider matching the glory. Since the American lost his last match to the Serb, he needs to be on his toes and is gunning for a great run at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. Fritz will play Japan’s Yosuke Watanuki in his first match on 7th October.

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