Taylor Fritz is keeping the magic alive! The fifth seed came into Wimbledon fresh off a glorious fourth win at the Eastbourne Open. But his start at the tournament wasn’t without challenges. In the opening round, Fritz faced a frustrating curfew suspension against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. That pushed his match to the next day—and then again in round two against Gabriel Diallo the very next day. He was close to another suspension and possibly a fourth day of play, but somehow, he made it into round three. You’d expect the American to show signs of fatigue, but Fritz keeps surprising us.

On Friday, 27-year-old Fritz took on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a thrilling battle. Fritz dominated the first two sets, but they took nearly two hours to finish. The Spaniard was tough, keeping points alive much longer than Fritz’s earlier opponents. His slower serve forced Fritz into defense more often, making this match a real test. Still, Fritz powered through, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1—his first Wimbledon match this year not to go to a fifth set.

After the win, Fritz opened up about his physical condition. “This is gonna sound crazy, but my body is actually feeling better after each match. I feel like somehow, it felt the worst in my first round, and it’s getting better,” he said. That’s impressive, right?

Especially since tennis is brutal on the body, and he came into round three after just one day’s rest following three back-to-back matches. With 14 sets already played at SW19 and three grass-court tune-ups before the major, Fritz pulled off something special. Despite a scare in the third-set tiebreak loss to Davidovich, he enjoyed a much quicker match this time. The American dream is definitely sparking at Wimbledon!

It’s refreshing to see Fritz in such high spirits! This season started rough with a round three exit at the Australian Open and a first-round loss at the French Open. But now, he’s clearly exceeding expectations.

What makes his admission even more surprising? During the match, play was halted a second time after Fritz sliced his elbow open in a dramatic dive. The American had to take a medical time-out to clean the bleeding cut. But that won’t hold him back going forward.

Taylor Fritz reveals how he thrives under pressure

On July 3, the American opened up about the pressure that comes with major tournaments. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, he shared, “I actually welcome those big pressure matches and moments. What I’m inspired by is the people that are better than me.” He’s still chasing that elusive first Grand Slam, but last year, he nearly grabbed one on home turf.

The 2024 season threw plenty at Fritz, but he finished strong. He made it to the US Open final, only to fall in straight sets to World No.1 Jannik Sinner. But Fritz didn’t let that stop him. He kept pushing, cracked the Top 5, and even reached the ATP Finals—again facing Sinner. The 27-year-old Californian hates losing, and that fierce rivalry fuels him both on and off the court. When he’s not battling for a Slam, you’ll find him gaming—League of Legends is his go-to for keeping that competitive edge sharp.

Fritz has ruled the American men’s tennis rankings for a while now, just waiting for that first Slam breakthrough. This year, he’s feeling the opportunity. “No one is extremely experienced on grass,” he says. “It’s faster. … It gives more chances to people that play big. I’d say there’s a better chance of there being upsets.”

The road ahead isn’t easy. Fritz could face stars like Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev in the coming weeks. Fun fact: he’s seeded above seven-time Wimbledon champ Novak Djokovic. “I’m feeling really good about my game on grass, I’m winning a lot of matches,” he says.

Could this be the year Taylor Fritz makes a deep Wimbledon run? He’s already reached the quarterfinals in 2022 and 2024. In the meantime, you can get all the latest updates on Wimbledon at our Live Blog!