Taylor Fritz shares message he had for Roger Federer after Swiss' retirement

• Tennis News
• Roger Federer

Taylor Fritz reveals he personally thanked Roger Federer for everything he did for tennis moments after the Swiss' retirement from tennis. Federer, a former 20-time Grand Slam champion, retired from pro tennis last September after the Laver Cup.

Fritz, who was representing Team World, also took part in Federer's farewell. After Federer's career came to an end, fellow players gathered to share a hug and a few selected words with the Swiss tennis icon. "I told him, 'Thank you for what you've done for the sport.'

And that's the point I lost it. I started to cry -- everyone was crying -- it was pretty impossible not to," Fritz revealed.

Fritz on how Federer & the Big Three impacted US men's tennis

This year's US Open is marking the 20th anniversary of the last time an American male tennis player won a Grand Slam singles title.

Since Andy Roddick's 2003 US Open win, there hasn't been an American Grand Slam champion. Reflecting on the US men's tennis Grand Slam drought, Fritz highlighted Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been a big reason why that's the case. "We have had the best three tennis players of all time playing since then and none of those three happen to be American," Fritz said.

Fritz, ranked at No 9 in the world, is currently the highest-ranked American male tennis player. After suffering a shock and disappointing US Open first-round loss last year, Fritz has been through to the US Open third round this year.

As the highest-ranked American, Fritz knows there is a responsibility on his shoulder and he hopes to deliver at Flushing Meadows. "As the top American, there's no way around it. The US Open is always going to be the most important tournament of the year so there will always be added pressure to perform at your home Slam and have big results," Fritz said.