Taylor Fritz is currently living a dream! He recently ended America’s 15-year-long drought to witness a men’s player in a Grand Slam final. Now, he’s just one step away from becoming the first American man to clinch a major title since Andy Roddick in 2003. He’ll take on the world number one Jannik Sinner in the finals of the 2024 US Open in just a few hours from now. Can the son of tennis champion Kathy May and coach Guy Fritz create a historic moment for his nation as well as his family on Super Sunday? Time will tell! Let’s now take a closer look at the story of those two persons who made his dreams come true.

Taylor Fritz was born to Kathy and Guy Fritz on 28 October 1997 in Rancho Santa Fe. California. Fritz started playing tennis at the age of 2 and his parents have played a crucial role. His mother, Kathy, was a tennis pro, and she won 7 WTA singles titles and 4 doubles titles in her six-year-long career. She had even competed in three Grand Slam QF. Kathy May even reached the Top 10 ranking in singles in 1977. She first crossed paths with Guy after her retirement in the ’80s. By then, Guy has well-established himself as a pro tennis player-turned coach.

However, if we take a look at Kathy’s previous relationships, she was briefly married to fellow tennis star Brian Teacher in 1980. However, they got divorced a few months later. Then, in 1981, she got married to the firefighter, Donn Paben and the couple later on welcomed two sons before parting ways with each other. After that, Guy came into her life and Taylor Fritz was born a few years later. However, both Kathy and Guy Fritz got divorced later on.

Having parents who are deeply involved with the sport can be a boon or a bane for the children. What was the situation like for young Taylor Fritz? “I feel like I always had the idea that it was cool to do what your parents did, so I played tennis. And I liked tennis, but to be honest, I went through periods when I was younger where I hated it and didn’t want to play because I enjoyed other sports much more,” said Fritz in a previous interview. However, he revealed that he was never put under any sort of pressure by his parents to play the sport. Yet at times, Fritz could understand how both his parents had a different approach to the game.

Taylor Fritz learned from both sides of the court

During a previous interview in 2023, Guy Fritz said, “I did everything I possibly could to make him a champion. From the minute he was born, I can’t even tell you every little thing I did.” He would make his walk on a balance board when Taylor was a toddler. Then, as he grew up, Guy Fritz set up a gym at their home and closely monitored his clean, plant-rich diet. With his vast experience on the courts, his father knew what was exactly needed for his son to become one of the best in business. However, there were a few things that Taylor Fritz didn’t like about his father’s coaching.

During an interview with New York Magazine, he described his father as a “pretty hard critic” in his tennis game. Fritz thinks he’s someone who does well when there are more positivities around him rather than negative criticisms. Even his mother had once asked him to get another coach, but at that time, he felt his father would care for him more than any other coach. Guy Fritz even led his son to a junior US Open title in 2015, and that was one of the memorable moments in his career.

Talking about memories and the role of the other supporting pillar in his life, Fritz said, “My mom kind of took a step back, but she’s gone to tournaments with me and it’s worked out great. She helped me make a lot of important decisions, especially early on because she’d been through it herself … she’s there for the practices, she’s there for the matches.” She was always there to help her during his practice sessions and even visited some of his matches to watch her son play.

Seeing Taylor Fritz play, once the 18-time Grand Slam champion, Chris Evert got reminded of his mother, Kathy May. Evert wrote on X last year, “She was a great competitor… like mother, like son.” Now, with Jannik Sinner knocking at his door, it’ll be interesting to see if Fritz can make his parents proud yet again with a historic feat.