The fourth-ranked tennis player in the world, American athlete Taylor Fritz, spoke about how tennis has shaped his relationship with his father, who has been his coach for many years.

“For almost my entire life, up until I became a professional player at around 18, I did everything under my father’s guidance. It was challenging. I often tell people that behind many successful tennis players is a parent who is a bit… well, eccentric—in a good way. It was tough because my dad pushed me hard. I think our relationship wasn’t the best when I was younger, as it was primarily a coach-player dynamic.

He did everything he could to make sure I got on the court and practiced. Looking back now, I realize it was not easy for our relationship. But I believe he thought I would be smart enough to understand everything later on. I appreciate all that tough love and discipline because he didn’t want me to be ‘soft.’ This could have gone one of two ways: you either start thinking, ‘God, I hate him, this is awful,’ or you look back and realize you wouldn’t be where you are without his strong encouragement. I’m grateful for that.

As a kid, we could be coming back from a basketball game, and he would suddenly stop at a park and say, ‘Run sprints here. Here’s a pull-up bar—do some pull-ups. Then run home.’ At the time, I thought, ‘Wow, I really hate my dad.’ But that’s one of the main reasons I’m where I am today,” Fritz said during a recording of the podcast Tennis Insider Club.