Indian Wells defending champion Taylor Fritz says people's expectations "one of the most dangerous things" that "hurt a lot of young players"

Taylor Fritz has a target on his back at Indian Wells 2023. The American, who is the defending champion, is aiming to defend his 1000 ranking points during the fortnight.

As of Saturday (March 11), Taylor Fritz has kept his title defense hopes alive after his second-round triumph against compatriot Ben Shelton (4-6, 6-4, 6-3).

In the post-match press conference, however, the World No. 5 opened up about dealing with the pressure of people’s expectations, which affected him moreso during his early years.

“It was something that I maybe wasn't ready for when I was 18, 19, and I think I was too young at the time to, I guess, properly deal with it. I think it probably hurt me,” Taylor Fritz said.

The American No. 1 witnessed a meteoric rise in the rankings after turning pro in 2015. He clinched numerous Challenger titles and, within months of his ATP debut, became the youngest player at the time to enter the top 100 in the world rankings. The reigning Indian Wells champion said that the remarkable feat had a negative effect on him as he wasn’t well equipped to deal with the pressure that accompanies success.

“All of a sudden, I remember thinking this, I had, you know, some good wins when I was 18. One year later, when I was 19, I barely beat a guy that I was supposed to beat. So I just feel like there was a lot of pressure on me, and it just tightened me up,” he noted.

The 25-year-old observed that the pressure hurt many of his peers as well and called it “one of the most dangerous things”.

“I see it hurt a lot of young players, because one of the most dangerous things that you can be dealing with in sports is having a lot of expectations and having a lot of pressure. It stops you from sometimes playing and competing as freely as you would like,” he said.

"It's different now" – Indian Wells defending champion Taylor Fritz on dealing with pressure as an experienced player

Taylor Fritz has gotten better at handling pressure over the years. In his post-match press conference at Indian Wells, the athlete revealed that people’s expectations don’t bother him as much these days. Instead, he has to deal with the pressure of his own dreams and goals.

“It's different now, I'm older and the pressure I feel is just the pressure that I put on myself. I don't care about what other people are saying and what pressure other people may be putting on me to succeed. That's kind of just a lesson you need to learn,” the World No. 5 said.

The American No. 1 certainly has high expectations of himself and his recent achievements are a testament to that. The player continues his pursuit of defending a title for the first time in his career at Indian Wells 2023, and is set to clash against Sebastian Baez next for a spot in the final 16 of the tournament.