All About Taylor Fritz's Parents, Kathy May and Guy Fritz

Taylor Fritz is on his way to becoming a household name in tennis, so it only makes sense that he was raised by two of the sport's biggest names: Kathy May and Guy Fritz.

A tennis legend in her own right, Kathy first crossed paths with Guy after she retired from the Women’s Tennis Associate (WTA) in the ‘80s. Meanwhile, Guy was becoming one of the most sought-after private tennis coaches in southern California — a career he chased for over 50 years until his retirement in 2023.

Their son Taylor came into the picture on Oct. 28, 1997, at which point the pair were living in San Diego, Calif., where their backyard was equipped with a full-size tennis court. Despite having professional athletes as parents, Taylor said he was never pressured to pick up a racket as a kid.

“I feel like I always had the idea that it was cool to do what your parents did, so I played tennis. And I liked tennis, but to be honest, I went through periods when I was younger where I hated it and didn’t want to play because I enjoyed other sports much more,” the Break Point star told Haute Living in August 2023. ”There was never pressure from my parents to play, so I just tried everything until I hit an age [15] where I had to make a decision and pick one.”

Here’s everything to know about Taylor Fritz’s parents, Kathy May and Guy Fritz. 

Kathy became a professional tennis player at 18

Kathy is a Los Angeles native. As a young athlete, she was coached by tennis hall of famer Pancho Segura. At age 18, Kathy went pro and won seven WTA singles titles and four doubles titles during her six years as a professional tennis player. She competed in three Grand Slam quarterfinals, including the 1977 and 1978 French Opens and the 1978 US Open, in which her impressive win clinched her a top-10 world ranking, per the Los Angeles Times.

In a New York Magazine interview, Kathy said her early retirement at age 24 was because she grew tired of life on the road. She also hails from retail aristocracy: Her family founded the Macy’s department stores.

Guy is a pro tennis player-turned-coach

In his youth, Guy was a touring tennis player. He eventually made the jump to coaching junior players, including pro CoCo Vandeweghe, who won the 2008 junior US Open title, per the Los Angeles Times. In 2015, Guy coached his son Taylor to the 2015 junior US Open title. A year later in 2016, Guy was honored with the US Olympic Development Coach of the Year Award for his dedication to coaching youth tennis.

Kathy has two sons from a previous relationship

Kathy is a boy mom times three. She was briefly married to 1980 Australian Open champion Brian Teacher, however they divorced soon after his big victory. In 1981, she and firefighter Donn Paben tied the knot. They welcomed two sons together before going their separate ways. 

Kathy and Guy raised Taylor in San Diego

The affluent neighborhood of Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego marks the couple’s hometown. During a Parenting Aces podcast appearance, Guy remarked how Taylor’s childhood set him up for success.

“We were very lucky,” he began. “We were living in southern California. We had a [tennis] court in our backyard, so Taylor had all the advantages. He really did.”

Taylor attended Torrey Pines High School, where he played baseball, lacrosse, football, basketball, and soccer. Speaking with Haute Living, Taylor admitted that it wasn’t unusual for him to juggle two sports per season.

“I guess growing up, I didn’t have my mind set on being a professional tennis player — I just had my mind set on being a professional athlete,” he added. “I didn’t care what sport it was. When it came down to it, I was the best at tennis of all the sports I played, so I decided to go all in.”

Kathy and Guy took different approaches to Taylor’s tennis career

As the son of two renowned tennis experts, Taylor had very different relationships with his parents growing up. While Kathy took more of a backseat approach, Guy was extremely hands-on during the early stages of his career.

“My mom kind of took a step back, but she’s gone to tournaments with me and it’s worked out great. She helped me make a lot of important decisions, especially early on because she’d been through it herself ... she’s there for the practices, she’s there for the matches — otherwise she kind of leaves me to do my own thing,” he told Tennis.com in 2021.

Meanwhile, Taylor described his dad as “a pretty hard critic” to New York Magazine. “That is something I wish could have been different, because I’m the type of player that builds off confidence and someone telling me all the right things I’m doing and not someone telling me all the wrong things,” he further explained.

“From the time he was born, all I thought about was making him a champion,” responded Guy to which Kathy added: “I told him a long time ago that Taylor should get another coach. He just felt like he was the best coach and cared more than anyone, which is true.”

Guy coached Taylor at the start of his career

While the father-son duo have faced their share of ups and downs, Taylor credits Guy for giving him a solid foundation in the game of tennis. “When you’re a kid, you don’t know what’s right and wrong, so you kind of just have to listen to what they tell you, and I’m just fortunate that I had people around me who knew what they were talking about,” he said of his father’s influence in a New York Magazine interview.

For his part, Guy is incredibly proud of the player his son has become. “I think he has a high ceiling. I couldn’t be prouder. He’s really matured. He’s a good kid,” Guy told KESQ News in 2022. “He’s doing really well.”