Fritz explains reasons behind Diriyah Tennis Cup participation amid sportswashing claims: "I think it’s going to help prepare for the Australian Open and for the rest of the year"

Taylor Fritz will be part of the Diriyah Tennis Cup in Saudi Arabia and he shared his motivation to take part in the controversial event.

Like the other participations, Fritz was criticised for taking part in this event due to the country's poor human rights record however Fritz has a clear goal behind it. The event is fielding a really strong field and will offer players a chance to play against some of the best which should be a good way to get ready for high-level tennis:

“I think it’s going to help prepare for the Australian Open and for the rest of the year because I can start out by playing against the best players in the world. The field is so strong, so it’s always great to surround yourself with a lot of great players."

Fritz is also hoping for a lot of crowd support as he hopes to snatch some of those great prize money awards reserved for the players that go deep in the event:

"People should come to support because hopefully it’ll be a lot of good tennis. Hopefully they’ll be cheering for me to win. They can expect a lot of big hitting, big serving, and hopefully some nice shot-making.”