Taylor Fritz finally matched her mother, Kathy May, by reaching the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament. Kathy reached three Grand Slam quarterfinals, two at Roland Garros and one at the US Open, during her best playing days in the late 1970s. After defeating Jason Kuler to reach the quarterfinals, Taylor said:
“My first Grand Slam quarterfinal, that’s really a big deal. Part of the final eight and I’m glad I was able to get the win on July 4, being an American.”
Fritz will need all his skills to reach the semifinals: he faces the Spanish maestro Rafael Nadal. The American knows what it takes to beat Nadal, having triumphed over the Spaniard earlier in the year to claim the Indian Wells Masters title.
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Taylor’s parents played professional tennis, and her mother won seven WTA titles.
Taylor Fritz with her mother Kathy May | Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Taylor Fritz was born on October 28, 1997 to Guy Henry Fritz and Kathy May in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Guy and Kathy played professional tennis, with Kathy breaking into the top 10 in the late 1970s and Guy finding success as a coach.
Kathy May came from a wealthy Jewish family. May’s father, the late David May II, inherited the May Company Department Stores Co. (now Macy’s) and was a notable figure in the Los Angeles Jewish community.
May’s maternal stepfather, Mervyn LeRoy, was a famous film director who produced The Wizard of Oz. Davin and LeRoy were both Jewish, but Kathy May was raised in the Protestant faith.
Kathy rose to fame through tennis, winning her first WTA title in September 1973. She won her seventh and final singles title in September 1976 in three sets over South Africa’s Brigitte Cuypers.
In 1977 and 1978 he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open; in 1978, he exited the US Open at the quarterfinal stage. Kathy May broke into the top 10 in 1977, achieving her career-high ranking of no. 10
Taylor’s parents were conflicted over the best time for him to turn professional.
Taylor Fritz’s parents, Kathy May and Guy Fritz | Photo by The San Diego Union-Tribune
Taylor Fritz picked up the tennis racket for the first time when she was two years old. Fritz also played baseball, basketball, and soccer, which Kathy said benefited his career years later. She said ATP circuit:
“He loved all sports. When he was actually little, tennis was not his favorite. For him, it was great because he didn’t love tennis that much. I think if he had only played tennis, now he would not have enjoyed it.”
Guy did most of the tennis coaching, but both parents contributed by making important decisions and guiding Taylor’s professional career. fritz said ATP circuit that his parents’ guidance played an important role in his development:
“It was nice to have two parents who could help me make important decisions about which tournaments to play, which tournaments not to play, how much time to spend practicing, how many weeks to practice, what to do on the field. pitch, staying healthy, coaches who they need to see and a lot of big decisions.”
When Taylor was 17 years old, he was the highest ranked junior player in the world. boy said los angeles times I expected Taylor to reach the highest levels of world tennis, but I didn’t expect her to rank first.
“When I was 12 years old and playing in tournaments, I knew I was good, really special, but not good enough to be junior world number 1,” Guy said. Kathy added: “I remember when he was 8 years old, how focused he was. He knew the score, he always had his head in the game. Unusual for an 8-year-old.”
In 2015, Fritz had two options: go professional or spend a year at university as his father wanted. Spending a year in the USC gym would help him get stronger and prepare him for the demands of professional tennis.
Guy told the Los Angeles Times that if Taylor won the Wimbledon juniors, nothing would stop her from turning professional. Fritz didn’t win at Wimbledon, he lost to eventual champion Reilly Opelka in the semifinals, but he still turned pro.
Fritz soon proved to his parents that he was the right choice. “I thought he was going to have the best competition here on the road and he can still build on his strength,” Kathy said. “He really didn’t want to go to college and he was anxious and he made that decision.”
Fritz pushed his mother back onto the field despite her injury
Taylor Fritz mother’ Kathy Mayo | ATP circuit
“He [Taylor] he’s very strong mentally… He hates losing at anything, even since he was a kid,” Kathy said.
Taylor’s competitiveness was on full display when, at age 12, she joined her mother to compete in a local mother-son event. fritz said ATP circuit that Kathy was the best mom at the event:
“One of the biggest mother-son tournaments in the country happened to be in San Diego, where I live. So, it was easy, we just played it. My mom was a former Top 10 player and she still played a lot, so she was hands down the best mom in the competition.”
Taylor told the outlet that he was likely the team’s weak link, making him a target for opponents. However, the pair made it to the quarterfinals, where disaster struck: Kathy suffered a calf injury.
May couldn’t play, but Taylor wanted to win so badly that she forced her to keep going. Taylor continued:
“We got third place in the tournament, but it was fun because I kept her playing when she couldn’t really walk. Looking back now, she’s just a mother and son at the local club near my house, so it wasn’t a big deal. But, back then, that was all that mattered.”
More than a decade later, it was Taylor’s turn to play injured. Fritz sprained his ankle during his semi-final win against Andrey Rublev in the Indian Wells Masters semi-finals.
Fritz thought that he could sleep off his injury, as he had many times before; However, when he got to the practice court, Taylor learned that the injury was much worse than he expected. A doctor advised him not to play the final against Nadal, but Fritz decided to compete.
Taylor received two pain-relieving injections before defeating Nadal in straight sets. In doing so, he fulfilled Guy’s prophecy that Taylor would win at Indian Wells. fritz said CNN:
“I remember my dad taking me on a stadium tour and pointing out the stadium field and saying, ‘One day, you’re going to win this tournament.’ that’s crazy [it] really happened.”
Taylor’s mother was married twice before marrying Guy Fritz
Kathy May married fellow Californian Brian Teacher in 1979. May informed him that she wanted a divorce while Teacher was preparing for the Australian Open. An excerpt from Sandra Harwitt’s book The best Jewish tennis players of all time read:
“I called home and said, ‘I just lost and had match point,’ and the first thing out of Kathy’s mouth was that she wanted a divorce. I said that?’ That’s crazy and we had just talked about moving and starting a family.”
Teacher was playing some of the best tennis of her career, but she gave up her place at the Australian Open to return to California. Before leaving for the airport, Kathy’s father called Brian and advised him to go on vacation to Hawaii instead of coming home.
“I didn’t think I’d have a good time in Hawaii, so I’d rather stay and try to play this tournament,” Brian said. After another player withdrew, Brian took his place at the Australian Open. Despite receiving news of his impending divorce, Brian played very well and won the 1980 Australian Open.
May and Teacher eventually divorced. Brian had a happier second marriage, but May was not so lucky. She welcomed two sons, Chris and Kyle, with firefighter Donn Paben, but that marriage has also been dissolved.
It was the third time Kathy had been lucky: she is still married to her third husband, Guy Fritz.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn