‘Such a Stressful Sport’ – Taylor Fritz Wants Ash Barty’s Fans to Not Lose Hope on Her Comeback

The news of Barty taking retirement is drawing a lot of attention. Barty seems to not worry about what others think. However, almost every player is weighing in, on the matter. Most of the players have spoken in favor of her decision and have called it brave and inspiring. Taylor Fritz, the American professional, has also opted to speak about the same in a conference post-Indian Wells victory. The player defeated the legendary Rafael Nadal by 6-3, 7-6 to claim the trophy.

Read more: ‘I Just Embarrass the F**K Out of Myself’–Taylor Fritz’s Girl Friend’s Honest Revelation on Having to Adjust to ATP Tour Etiquette

Taylor Fritz belongs to a family of tennis professional. His Father, Guy Fritz is one of the best coach out there and his mother Kathy May is a former tennis player. Upon being asked to share his take on Barty’s retirement, he said, “It’s crazy. She previously, early on in her career, did retire as well. Now it’s obviously a lot different this time with her being No. 1 in the world. She still is very young.”

“I’m sure she’s thought a lot about the decision. I guess she thinks that’s what’s best for her. Happy for her. I’d still hold out hope if I was a fan that she might miss it and come back later on because there’s plenty of time for that.” He added.

Taylor Fritz Might Understand

Taylor’s mother Kathy has been a tennis player and was a part of the top ten list in her career years. The way she plays, her mindset and not to forget her hardships, Taylor must have witnessed it. Therefore, it might not be wrong to compare her situation with Barty’s.

He further added, “This is such a stressful sport. Having to worry about defending your points, your ranking, your sponsor, it’s so stressful, especially if you are someone who expects a lot of yourself, puts a lot of pressure on yourself. I can definitely understand someone who’s accomplished a lot, done everything they probably wanted to do, being happy to call it.” Fritz is 24 years old and is very close to Barty age wise and, therefore, might be able to understand her mindset.

Watch this story: Rafael Nadal, Ashleigh Barty, and other tennis stars reaction to Novak Djokovic’s Australian open controversy

Taylor Fritz has held a career highest ranking of 13 and is currently portraying his best form. Owing to his majestic victory in Indian Wells, hopes of him performing really well in the Miami Open will be there. Further, the courts will have similar conditions as of Indian Wells as both are hard courts. Humidity will cause a slight difference.

Taylor has booked himself a seat in the second round by defeating the Russian Mikhail in the first round of the Miami Open. Will he claim another  victory to claim “Sunshine Double”?