‘When I beat Rafael Nadal, maybe I thought I could also be world No. 1’ : Taylor Fritz says he ignores rankings when facing world number one

Taylor Fritz has revealed his mindset when he faces the world’s best, as he gears up for a deep run at the 2026 Miami Open. The American stated that he ignores the world ranking when he faces the likes of Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, or even the likes of Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic in the past.

The American stated that when he defeated Rafael Nadal in the past, he did not think about his world ranking, and also thought he could be at the helm of the ATP Rankings. Fritz defeated Nadal in the finals of the Indian Wells Masters in 2022, ending the Spaniard’s unbeaten run. He also followed up his win with another victory against Nadal at the Nitto ATP Finals in the same year.

“I don’t usually think that I’m playing against the world No. 1; my mind just sees the player as one of the best guys and nothing more. I don’t think about the ranking. When I played against [Rafael] Nadal and beat him, maybe I thought I could also be world No. 1 at some point, although I guess it’s not that easy,” Fritz said.

“I didn’t even realize he was number one at that time: Fritz on defeating Alcaraz

Taylor Fritz also defeated Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Laver Cup last year. The American stated that he didn’t even realize that the Spaniard was the world’s top-ranked player, and all that mattered to him was to secure a vital point for his team.

“Those matches are always exciting, the same when I’ve had to play against [Novak] Djokovic, I wasn’t thinking then that he was the number one. In the Laver Cup, I defeated Carlos, and for me, it meant securing a great point for the team, but I didn’t even realize he was number one at that time,” he added.

Taylor Fritz defeated Reilly Opelka in the second round of the Miami Open, as he now faces Jiri Lehecka in the last 16 clash. The American number one has struggled for form and consistency in the first quarter of the season, as he is yet to win a title so far, having played several tournaments since the turn of the year.

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