San Diego’s tennis phenom Taylor Fritz stared down at the floor for the first few answers following his September 5 loss at the U.S. Open.
His demeanor was unusual, as Fritz is known for giving some of the most thoughtful, honest interviews in pro tennis, always willing to look a questioner in the eyes and take time to give nuanced, detailed responses. He is a “tennis nerd” in the best sense of the term, always happy to get into the minute details that separate winning and losing.
But Saturday, after one of the most shocking defeats of his pro career, the former Torrey Pines High School student was as despondent as could be after a match, looking down at his hands and the table in front of him.
“I don’t even know what to say. I don’t want to, like — I don’t really want to talk to anybody, see anybody. I kind of just need to, like, get out for a couple days and then just kind of get back to work. I don’t know how I let that happen today,” Fritz said during his post-match interview.
What happened was a stunning five-set loss to No. 24 seed Francisco Cerundolo in the third round of the U.S. Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
The 28-year-old Fritz looked untouchable through the first two rounds, not dropping a set and, with the upsets happening around him, looking like a solid bet to reach at least the quarterfinals or semis.
But Saturday, up two sets and in front of a supportive Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, Fritz faltered. He stopped dominating the rallies and allowed the Argentine to sink his teeth back into the match.
The final three sets were 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and Fritz had chances to win all of them.
The loss capped a disappointing few days for San Diego area players; Brandon Nakashima was upset by fellow Californian Alex Michelsen on Wednesday, followed by Zach Svajda’s defeat on Thursday to France’s Arthur Gea.
“It was nothing that I think wasn’t already kind of happening,” Fritz said of the comeback. “I was lucky to get through the first and the second sets, just because he wasn’t serving great. He was making some mistakes. So I was able to get breaks and then just kind of fight through service games.”
Added Fritz, “-He’s a very good — like a very, very good returner. I think it made it look even — or feel even worse as well, the fact that I wasn’t really hitting my spots enough on the serve. He was punishing me more than maybe a normal person would.”
The Sept. 5 interview was in stark contrast to those previous appearances following his wins. During those, Fritz answered questions on all sorts of topics from the media, even referencing his Torrey Pines High School days and why he’d miss the opening of the school year.
“I was always pretty excited to go back to school after the summer, excited for the first week or two, and then, ‘Oh, it sucks now, I don’t really want to do this,’” Fritz said. “I do remember when I first started playing juniors here, I would just straight up miss like the first two weeks of high school my freshman year, and I had so much catch-up work to do.”
And Saturday, even with a step up in class of opponent in the 24th-seeded Cerundolo, Fritz seemed to be well on his way to a fourth-round appearance.
He broke Cerundolo twice in the opening set and then once more in the second set to grab a commanding lead, and then the 28-year-old broke the Argentine again to start the third; spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium could sip their overpriced Honey Deuces and look forward to Coco Gauff coming on soon.
But something sparked in Cerundolo, and he roared to life.
And once the match started slipping away, Fritz was unable to bounce back. In the fifth set, both players were on serve until 4-all, when Fritz missed a few forehands he’d normally make, and Cerundolo was able to break.
The 2024 U.S. Open finalist still had chances, getting to love-30 in the final game, but Cerundolo steadied, and when a Fritz backhand sailed harmlessly long, the upset was complete.
“He just played better,” Fritz said. And after a few more perfunctory answers, he stood up slowly and slunk away toward the door.
