"No disrespect, but pickleball’s way easier" - Taylor Fritz rules out pursuing the trending sport over other hobbies like golf

Taylor Fritz reckons pickleball is quite similar to tennis once you understand the rules. In fact, the American finds it so easy that he would not choose to pursue the sport over some of his other hobbies like golf in his free time.

Currently in action at the 2023 Miami Open, the 25-year-old secured an emphatic victory over Emilio Nava in the second round on Friday. Fritz took just 59 minutes to dispatch Nava 6-4, 6-1 and kick off his tournament in style.

The World No. 10 was questioned by Prakash Amritraj on the Tennis Channel afterwards and was asked about the non-tennis activities he enjoyed before the tournament. Amritraj opined that Fritz looked pretty good on the pickleball court and wondered if the American had practiced the sport.

“You looked pretty good on the pickleball court,” stated Amritraj, “My question is, have you put in much time on the pickleball court?"

Taylor Fritz responded, saying that it was only his second time playing pickleball, which left Amritraj quite speechless.

He was then asked if he intended to pursue the game more, to which the American nonchalantly declared that that he thought pickleball was way easier than many other sports, especially considering he already played tennis at a very high level. Fritz, therefore, chose to stick with golf and his other current hobbies instead.

“No disrespect to pickleball players, but pickleball’s way easier,” laughed the American.

“Once you understand the rules and what to do, it’s an easy transition with tennis,” he added. “I’ll play here and there, but (I have) golf and other stuff that I like to do.”

The World No. 10 will next take on Denis Shapovalov in the Round of 32 at the 2023 Miami Open.

Taylor Fritz praises girlfriend Morgan Riddle for her impact on the growing popularity of tennis in the USA

Taylor Fritz with girlfriend Morgan Riddle

Taylor Fritz credited his girlfriend Morgan Riddle with helping him achieve his goal of popularizing tennis in the USA at his press conference at the Miami Open. The World No. 10 wants tennis to become a well-known and talked about sport in his country, a pursuit in which Riddle has contributed a lot already.

“She's kind of done a really good job of finding this niche of content and, I guess, trying to popularize tennis," he stated.

"It's been really great. Impressive as well with what she's been able to do and generate a lot of hype for tennis. You know, reach people that, I guess, tennis normally wouldn't reach." he concluded.

The 25-year-old complimented girlfriend Riddle for bringing a new demographic of fans to the sport owing to the tennis-related behind-the-scenes content she posts on YouTube and TikTok. A social media influencer, Riddle has gained a lot of recognition for the content she continuously shares while accompanying the American No. 1 on tour.