Taylor Fritz is one of the best players in the world and the American wants to see the sport grow even bigger than it already is.
As a young kid, Taylor Fritz got captivated by tennis opting to make it a dream. It's a dream he was able to realize but he wants to see the sport reach even bigger heights than it already has. To help in that regard, Fritz took part in the Netflix series Break Point which sought to tell the story of tennis in a different light.
Widely considered a privileged sport due to the high costs, the sport doesn't tell a good story of itself according to Fritz. It's one of the things he'd like to see done better in the future because doing that has done wonders for other sports as he revealed talking to Tennis365.
I think that is the most important thing we need to do in our sport. When I think back to tennis players and sports stars that I admired or paid attention to it was always because firstly I valued their abilities on the court or on the field, and secondly because I connected with their story and the stories of those around them.
Tennis has to do a better job in telling those stories. If you look at F1 now for example, people are captivated by F1 because Drive to Survive did an amazing job of letting people into that world and told the stories of the drivers.
Being able to connect with your favourite athletes or sports teams is an essential part of fandom. It created individuals that are more invested which helps the sport grow even more which then attracts even bigger audiences and inspires more people to take up the sport whether casually or professionally.
As a rather young player who grew up during the internet age, Fritz understands that there is a lot more the sport could be doing in that regard however they are choosing not to do which is disappointing. That's what he wants to see change most in the future.
I grew up gaming a lot (still do) and watching YouTube videos and YouTube creators, so I know how many alternative entertainment options there are out there for young people. We as a sport have to figure out how to better reach that audience and bring a younger crowd into tennis. I don’t know what the answer is, but we have to make some changes to find a better balance between the great traditions of tennis, which I love and value, and what that new audience is looking for.
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