It’s no secret that Taylor Fritz is a friend of pickleball.

The 26-year-old American tennis star made that crystal clear again during his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2024 US Open on Friday.

Midway through the Q&A session, a reporter asked Fritz a simple question.

“Do you think tennis needs to be worried at all about the explosion in popularity of pickleball?”

Without hesitation, Fritz provided a very direct reply.

“Not really," he said. "I think there’s some people in the tennis world that are just absolute pickleball haters, and that’s fine, but for me, I don’t really have an issue with pickleball. I like playing sometimes. It’s fine. I don’t see any reason why both of them can’t exist.”

Those words, of course, are in sharp contrast to his colleague Novak Djokovic expressing concern last month at Wimbledon that “tennis is endangered” by the remarkable growth of pickleball and padel in recent years.

Interestingly enough, Djokovic gave pickleball a try earlier this week in New York City and appeared to have some fun, so maybe he’ll change his tune on America’s fastest-growing sport in the near future... if he hasn't already.

Fritz, meanwhile, participated in a pair of exhibition events leading up to the final Grand Slam of the season, including the highest-ever outdoor pickleball match in the Western Hemisphere at The Edge NYC alongside Frances Tiafoe, Madison Keys, and Alex de Minaur.

He also played in Lotte New York Palace's Palace Invitational where Carlos Alcaraz showcased his notable skills to the delight of the crowd in attendance.