"Being there for Roger Federer's retirement is something I'll never forget" - Taylor Fritz

American tennis player Taylor Fritz recently said that being present for Roger Federer's retirement was his greatest memory from the 2022 Laver Cup.

Fritz was part of Team World at the 2022 Laver Cup, where he played against Team Europe and competed against Roger Federer at the last tournament of his career.

Federer played his last match with Rafael Nadal as his doubles partner, losing to Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe in three sets, 6-4, 6-7(2), 9-11.

Fritz, who was watching the battle from the bench, still vividly remembers the moment the Swiss maestro played his last competitive match.

"Yeah, like, being there for Roger's retirement, getting to talk to him, shake his hand, all that when he's retiring, that's something that I'll never forget," Fritz said during his pre-tournament US Open press conference.

The 25-year-old went on to praise the Laver Cup, where he will be competing again in 2023. The tournament will be held in Vancouver from September 22-24.

"Aside from that, obviously winning the whole event, being able to celebrate with the team. I think that's something that was so great because I was talking about it the other day actually," Fritz said.

Taylor Fritz liked that he was part of a team at the Laver Cup, which is not what usually happens in tennis tournaments.

"In tennis, when you win, which obviously every week everyone loses but one person, so when you do have those weeks where you win, you don't really have people to celebrate with because it's an individual sport," the World No. 9 explained.

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Taylor Fritz to play Steve Johnson in the first round of the 2023 US Open

Taylor Fritz and Steve Johnson at the 2021 Atlanta Open

Taylor Fritz will begin his 2023 US Open campaign against compatriot Steve Johnson. Fritz is coming to the US Open after losing to Novak Djokovic 0-6, 4-6, in the quarterfinals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

Johnson, meanwhile, lost in the first round of the Stanford Challenger to Yosuke Watanuki 5-7, 7-5, 4-6, days after winning the title at the Lexington Challenger, where he bested Arthur Cazaux 7-6(5), 6-4, in the final.

This will be the seventh match up between Johnson and Fritz, with the latter leading their head-to-head 4-2. Their last encounter was at the 2021 Atlanta Open, with Fritz completing a comeback to win 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1.

The winner of that match will face either Serbia's Miomir Kecmanovic or Peru's Juan Pablo Varillas in the second round of the last Grand Slam of the season.