Jessica Pegula has reacted to one of the most unique travel stories involving fellow American Taylor Fritz. Fritz once went through one of the most exhausting travel detours in tennis just to make his match at the Chengdu Open.
Former American star John Isner recently recalled the story on the Nothing Major podcast, describing how Fritz overcame a passport mistake that left him scrambling across continents before arriving in Chengdu with barely enough time to play.
How Did Jessica Pegula React to Taylor Fritz’s Passport Blunder?
The incident occurred in 2019 after Fritz competed at the Laver Cup in Geneva. He was set to travel to China for the Asian swing, but his Chinese visa was in his old passport, which he had mistakenly left behind in Los Angeles.
With only 36 hours before his first-round singles match, Fritz faced a choice most players would have found impossible. Instead of conceding, he chose to chase down his documents and make the trip anyway.
Isner recalled how the drama unfolded at the airport. “We’re in the Geneva Airport after the 2019 Laver Cup, all on the same trip, Geneva, Beijing, and then on to Chengdu. And mind you, this is Monday, so Chengdu is literally already starting. We get to the airport, we’re checking in, and he goes, ‘Uhh.’ He had the wrong passport. His passport with his Chinese visa was in Los Angeles.”
“And mind you, he’s got to play a match in 36 hours. So I’m sitting there at the airport and chuckling. I’m like, ‘Bit of tough luck. Go back to L.A. and enjoy home, and I’ll see you in Tokyo.’”
But Fritz was determined to keep his commitment. “He’s like, ‘No, no, I’m gonna play Chengdu.’ And I’m thinking, how are you gonna do that? So what he did, he went from Geneva, booked a new flight Geneva, Paris right then and there. Then he went Paris-Los Angeles, lands at LAX, gets an Uber, drives to his house, has the Uber wait for him, runs up to his house, gets his right passport with his Chinese visa, goes back to LAX, then flies LAX-Tokyo-Chengdu,” Isner said.
After nearly two days of nonstop travel, Fritz arrived in Chengdu visibly exhausted. “I’m eating breakfast, and I see him stumble into the breakfast. He eats some food and then goes out and plays a match four hours later against Bublik. He [Fritz] lost, but he lost 7-5 in the third. There’s only one person in the world that would do that in order to still compete, and that was Taylor Fritz,” Isner added.
Pegula reacted to the story when the podcast clip was posted on Instagram, calling the ordeal “so Fritz coded.”
What Was Fritz’s Main Reason for Fighting To Compete in Chengdu?
Fritz offered more context in the comments, explaining how he ended up in the situation. “Old passport expired but 10-year Chinese visa was still in it. Got new passport and forgot I needed to also bring the one with the visa,” he wrote.
He also admitted that his doubles commitment was the biggest reason for pushing through. “This happened pretty much exactly how John said but main reason I grinded to play it was I agreed to play dubs w @nicholasmonroe10s and he was already there so I didn’t want to screw him over by pulling out. I still wanted to play singles too but if he wasn’t waiting for me for the dubs I may not have done the trip ???? (couldn’t repair dubs teams back then).”
His Chengdu doubles partner, Nicholas Monroe, also jumped into the discussion, remembering Fritz’s immediate arrival. “Haha he landed and 2 hours later played doubles with me and we won the match! Guys a beast! Then the next day he lost to Bublik 6 in the third,” Monroe wrote.
Fritz clarified the timeline, replying, “nah doubles was the next day I played the singles match right after I landed.”
Despite the rocky start, Fritz and Monroe went on to reach the semifinals in Chengdu before falling 4-6, 4-6 to Nikola Ćaćić and Dušan Lajović.
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