WHEN I SPEAK to Taylor Fritz’s coach, Michael Russell, everything is going according to plan in the world no.4’s quest to make it to the pointy end of the Australian Open. Fritz is coming off a straight sets thrashing of Chilean Cristian Garin and has only dropped a total of eight games across his two matches.
At this point you would have backed Fritz to continue the form that saw him reach the US Open final and Nitto ATP final in 2024. But it’s not to be. The Californian’s third-round opponent, wily veteran Gaël Monfils, manages to cause one of the upsets of the tournament, sending Fritz to Tullamarine Airport a little earlier than he anticipated or hoped.
The result serves to illustrate the depth in men’s tennis right now. Similarly, the cut-throat nature of life at the top of the ATP tour underscores just how important it is for players to utilise any performance edge they can and to nail the so-called one-percenters. For Fritz and Russell, that means prioritising sleep and recovery.
“Sleep is monumental and what we do is we always make sure he gets a minimum of nine hours sleep a night,” says Russell, a former top 50 player himself, who’s speaking to me today from his hotel room the day before the Monfils match. “And so, if he has a really exhausting long match that’s very physical, we make sure that we will schedule our practice later the next day to make sure he gets adequate sleep because that’s a huge component of recovery. That’s when you’re able to get into that deep sleep REM cycle, making sure that your body’s able to recover from the crazy rigours of what you did on the court. Playing tennis is very tough on the body, it’s very destructive on the joints and the muscles and draining on your nervous system, so sleep is a key component in our scheduling every single day.”
Just how important sleep is to reaching peak athletic performance is confirmed by a growing body of research. In one study of varsity tennis players, for example, those who increased their sleep to at least nine hours a night also saw the accuracy of their serves increase from 36 per cent to nearly 42 per cent. Another study, meanwhile, found sleep deprivation decreased serve accuracy by up to 53 per cent when compared to performance after normal sleep. Clearly, every extra minute of quality shuteye can be precious, possibly pivotal, in crucial high-pressure moments in a tight match.
“There’s just such small margins at the top of any sport and for tennis to be able to have that quality optimal sleep and to be able to have that on the road, it’s the difference in winning just a few points in a match,” Russell says. “And, of course, that’s the difference in huge money and ranking points.”

Image: Eight Sleep
The critical link between sleep and high performance might be one reason Fritz decided to become an ambassador and investor in revolutionary sleep fitness company Eight Sleep, whose innovative bed cooling system actively cools or warms your bed to suit your ideal temperature. The Eight Sleep Pod has been clinically proven to improve sleep quality and to increase deep sleep and heart rate variability.
“He loves it, Russell says of Fritz’s hi-tech pod, which accompanies the player wherever he goes on the ATP circuit. “It’s a game changer. It [Eight Sleep] is the first sleep fitness company and they have a body of scientific research showing how it can actually improve and affect your recovery and reach those deep REM stages of your sleep.”
Of course, one of the challenges in a Grand Slam is that matches often start late and finish in the early hours of the morning, meaning the next day’s recovery regimen needs to be adjusted accordingly. At last year’s US Open semi-finals, for example, Fritz didn’t get to bed until 4.30am, Russell says, meaning he didn’t take to the practice court the next day until 5pm. He then had to ensure he still got his nine hours sleep ahead of the final the next day at 1pm.
“It makes it challenging because you really have to try to expedite the recovery and get ready for the preparation of the following match even though it’s different circumstances and different timing,” Russell says. “We try to stress the importance of trying to get to bed right away after the match and try to get that high quality sleep as much as he can.”
On a typical recovery day, Fritz will get up around 9.30am and have a practice session around 1pm. This is followed by recovery session involving soft tissue massage and an ice bath, before a high-protein meal, such as grilled chicken or lean meat with rice. “I don’t think he’s as much of a vegetable guy, but sometimes he’ll throw a little bit in there,” Russell says.
After a couple of years in which he was on the fringes of the top 10, last year saw Fritz lay down roots in the top 5. Russell attributes the 27-year-old’s improved consistency to a combination of both mindset and unlocking specific physical tools.
“I think it’s a combination of just having more confidence in being in those tournaments, deeper rounds, the self-belief, the experience, and also we’ve worked hard to improve his transition game,” he says. “He’s coming to the net more and he’s more explosive, he’s moving better. His endurance, he’s fitter, so that allows him to play longer matches and not deviate from game plans and strategy so he can continue to sustain his powerful game and not fatigue deep in tournaments.”
Fritz’s compatriot and rival, Frances Tiafoe, recently commented on the strides Fritz has made in court mobility. “What separates him is he’s done an unbelievable job with moving – he couldn’t put one foot in front of the other growing up, but now he moves really well,” Tiafoe said before his own surprise second-round exit last Thursday. “He’s always been a great ball striker, but he’s moving really well.”
Mobility is something Russell says has been a focus in drills that target the soleus calf muscle, the pair squeezing in drills wherever they can. “We’re on the road sometimes more than 35 weeks, but we have to continue to micro-dose when we can, even if it’s just 15 minutes or 30 minutes before a practice session or after a match to get those explosive exercises for that muscle memory.”
So, what does Russell see as the keys to Fritz finally breaking through for a Grand Slam?
“I think the three keys are he has to serve consistently well, which would be between 60 and 70 per cent for the duration of a match,” Russell says. “He has to be healthy, of course. To play seven matches, it’s a lot of stress on your body and on your system. And then also to make sure that he’s fit as far as being quick and explosive and really going after his shots, looking for forehands, looking to be able to be aggressive and to be able to transition forward and not get into a track meet with a lot of his opponents. And that’s his forte, being able to overpower players, basically take the racquet out of their hand. That’s when he’s playing his best tennis.”

Image: Eight Sleep
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