Taylor Fritz Reveals His Biggest Lesson from US Open Final Loss and Why He’s ‘Very Confident’ About 2026 Tournament (Exclusive)

Taylor Fritz, a 28-year-old tennis player, is feeling very confident about the upcoming 2026 US Open tournament in New York. This confidence comes after he lost the final match to Jannik Sinner in the 2024 edition of the US Open. Though he was defeated in the 2025 tournament by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, Fritz feels he learned a valuable lesson during his 2024 run.

"I don’t know if I took away that much from specifically that final," he says. "I wish that I could have played a bit better in that match. It was an amazing experience." Fritz remarks that what he took most out of the whole week in New York was that he didn't need to show up to tournaments playing perfectly to make a deep run or reach the finals.

"And I think that was an issue I had before," he continues. "Sometimes if I wasn't playing my best, I’d just write that week off and be like, ‘Yeah. It’s just not going to happen this week.’ But that week in particular, I felt like I was playing all right. I wasn't playing amazing, but kinda just average, and I was able to work with it and take it all the way to the finals.

So I think that was a big lesson that I learned that week." Fritz adds that this experience gives him confidence for the 2026 tournament, saying, "And I think now that I've had the experience of being there, if I'm in that situation again, I think I'm very confident that I'll play much better." When not on the court, Fritz enjoys a "boring" night off, staying in, ordering in, watching a show, and playing video games.

His favorite night off activity is the Fritzy Spicy Margarita cocktail, which he's partnered with Dobel Tequila for, since 2022. Fans can find this signature cocktail on the grounds of the US Open, as well as in various restaurants across New York City, including Lucky Tiger, Flyfish Club, and The Elgin.