“There was never pressure from my parents to play, so I just tried [every sport] until I hit an age where I had to make a decision and pick one.”
Jul. 9 2024, Published 2:41 p.m. ET
Taylor with his mom Kathy May in 2023
With all eyes on American tennis pro Taylor Fritz, it’s only natural for folks to wonder about where he comes from — including the folks who shaped him.
As in, his actual folks: Who are Taylor’s mom and dad?
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Well, Taylor just so happens to be the son of two great tennis players — proving that the apple certainly doesn’t fall from the tree. (Or … the ball doesn’t roll far from the court? Sorry, we’ll stop.)
More on Taylor’s fam below…
Taylor Fritz with his mom Kathy May in 2022
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Taylor was born on Oct. 28, 1997, to mom Kathy May (who just so happens to be the great-granddaughter of David May, who founded what is now Macy’s department stores) and dad Guy Henry Fritz. And if you recognize their names, it’s because they’re both big names in tennis.
Kathy, who went pro at only 18 years old, won seven WTA singles titles over the course of her impressive tennis career. She made it to three Grand Slam quarterfinals (one at the U.S. Open in 1978, and two at the French Open in 1977 and 1978) and reached a No. 10 world ranking in 1977. She played pro for six years before retiring at age 24, partially because she was feeling lonely on tour.
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As for Guy, he was a college football player before turning to tennis at age 19, and he eventually became a sought-after coach. In fact, in 2016, Guy received the U.S. Olympic Development Coach of the Year Award for his work in coaching junior tennis.
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Kathy and Guy, who have since divorced, were careful not to pressure their son into their sport of choice, according to Taylor himself. As he told Haute Living in 2023: “I feel like I always had the idea that it was cool to do what your parents did, so I played tennis. And I liked tennis, but to be honest, I went through periods when I was younger where I hated it and didn’t want to play because I enjoyed other sports much more. There was never pressure from my parents to play, so I just tried everything until I hit an age [15] where I had to make a decision and pick one.”
Taylor’s dad (in back) and mom (front right) in March 2024
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But as with most things on the internet, it’s best to take things with a grain of salt, and remember that a lot of speculation is just that: speculation. Maybe we should just focus on Kathy’s incredible tennis legacy instead.
