Taylor Fritz is impressively leading his Australian Open campaign, as he has advanced to the fourth round after defeating 40-year-old Swiss star Stan Wawrinka. The World No. 9 has recently revealed what he will be doing when he is older while reflecting positive views on Wawrinka’s longevity and his continued excellence as he bid farewell at Melbourne Park.
Taylor Fritz Reflects on His Future Plans, Highlighting Stan Wawrinka’s Passionate Mentality for the Sport
Fritz returned to the court action with the United Cup tournament, where Team USA, the two-time champions, reached the semifinals. Despite dealing with knee tendonitis, which limited his offseason training, the American star has delivered impressive performances at the Australian Open.
He defeated Frenchman Valentin Royer in the first round in four sets, 7–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–3, and then Czech talent Vit Kopriva in his second round, with a final scoreline of 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4). In the third round, he faced veteran player Wawrinka, the 2026 United Cup finalist with Team Switzerland.
Fritz clinched the victory, gaining the first set, losing the second, and then dominating the last two, with a final scoreline of 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 at John Cain Arena. During his post-match press conference, Fritz revealed that he has no plans of playing at 40, as he is not sure of his physical health, reflecting, “I’m not going to be playing tennis. Like there’s no way, with how my body’s been feeling the last couple years, no way I’m going to be able to hold on for another 12 years.”
The Rancho Santa Fe, California, native also expressed his respect and admiration for Wawrinka’s passion for the game, both mental and physical. The Swiss star played the last match of his career at Melbourne Park and also received a heartwarming farewell.
Fritz mentioned, “I told him at the net what he’s doing is incredible. Just being able to do it at his age, that’s impressive but more so like the mentality of it, like the passion and the love for the game, and just the competitiveness because he’s someone who has absolutely nothing to prove.”
He continued, “Just to be out there working that hard, just competing, I mean, down a break in the fourth, just competing his ass off. I hope that I have that much passion for tennis when I’m older. So that’s why I told him it’s really impressive.”
For his fourth-round match, Fritz is set to face the World No. 5 Italian, Lorenzo Musetti. The duo have clashed six times in the past and are 3-3, head-to-head.
