As Taylor Fritz gets ready for his maiden Grand Slam final, we want to know more! After all he might become the first American player in 21 years to win a US Open men’s singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003. But something else has left us intrigued too—his ex-wife, Raquel Pedraza, and her meet-up with the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Roger Federer!

The 26-year-old married his high-school sweetheart, Pedraza, back in 2016, after a romantic proposal in front of the Eiffel Tower! However, not many would be aware of her tryst with the racket-wielding sport. The 26-year-old was a tennis player, inspired by her brother, who was also active on the tennis court. In 2014, she had a WTA ranking of 86, which plummeted to 148 the next year, owing to injuries. She left the sport in 2017 after giving birth to her first child Jordan with then-husband Taylor Fritz.

In one of her career highlights, Pedraza once participated in an advertising campaign with Swiss maestro Roger Federer himself!

In a blog post titled ‘The Highest “High Five” of my Life by Raquel Pedraza’, the former tennis star wrote, “Wow!  This guy is a legend, he has won the most grand slam titles ever!”  It was thrilling to meet him.  Roger radiates confidence and he has a gift of sharing his enthusiasm for life.  Just being around him was fun, happy, and relaxing.  He truly cares about doing his best at whatever he does.”

But there’s more to her chance encounter with the iconic veteran!

Pedraza even picked up the racquet to swing a few volleys with Federer against other tennis players who were participating in the ad campaign, and the Swiss legend even greeted her with a fist bump exploding into a high-five, as the duo enjoyed themselves on the court. The charismatic 20-time Grand Slam champion certainly awed Fritz’s ex-wife.

“Roger has a great sense of humor, he would crack jokes during takes and make everyone laugh. When I was hitting swing volleys he would say, ‘Peg the boys’ and so I would go for Bryce and Bogdan and I hit one of them right in the hand, which was pretty funny. Then Roger would give me a fist pump and then we would explode it.  Once I missed a swing volley and Roger was like, ‘No high five for that one’ and everyone would laugh,” Pedraza wrote further about her memorable Wilson Sporting Goods campaign.

That was more than a decade back, but nonetheless a beautiful moment for Pedraza! While she stayed under the radar most of the time, as far as her tennis career was concerned, Fritz burst onto the scene with his extraordinary performances. Let’s explore their relationship timeline and Fritz’s affection for his son.

Taylor Fritz really respects his ex-wife!

Taylor Fritz never stopped acknowledging Pedraza’s contribution in helping him manage tennis and parenthood. The couple welcomed their son when Fritz was just 19—which was initially a concern for Fritz. A rising star with a ranking of 77 in 2016 and named the ATP Star of Tomorrow for being the youngest player within the Top-100, Pedraza’s help couldn’t have come at a better time. “My life really hasn’t changed too much because of how my wife has really stepped up,” the American star was quoted as saying by People magazine. 

Fritz’s parenthood journey with his son, Jordan, taught him how to balance his personal and professional life. “I think [having a kid] taught me a lot of lessons about time management. It also taught me to not care so much about other people’s opinions. There was a lot of talk when I was younger. I was always very concerned about how my career would be affected,” the 26-year-old further added.

However, Fritz’s marriage didn’t last long. He parted ways with Pedraza in 2019 when Jordan was just 2 years old. While Fritz is in a relationship with fashion influencer Morgan Riddle now, Pedraza lives a private life with their son, Jordan. Even though they are not together anymore, Pedraza will be hoping Fritz achieves his moment of glory at Flushing Meadows, as he takes on Jannik Sinner in the final later today.