At the US Open Round of 16, Taylor Fritz made sure that he was ready to take on any challenge that Tomas Machac threw at him, beating him 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. But while Fritz was out in the Louis Armstrong Stadium, many fans directed their attention to Kathy May, Fritz’s mother. Curiosity hit them when they circled around the rumors of May’s facial surgery. So, what really happened? 

Well, according to rumors on the internet, Taylor Fritz’s mother went through surgery to lift her face. Well, she hasn’t really confirmed or denied whether the rumors are true or false. And the speculations were only made on gossip blogs and entertainment websites. 

So, we can’t really confirm the stance of the outlets without any first-person statements or reputable corroboration. But we can certainly confirm one thing. Kathy May Fritz was a star in the tennis world during her prime era. No wonder Taylor Fritz is making waves now, and has recently become the last American male player standing in the 2025 US Open. But do you know exactly how good Kathy May was?

What if we told you that even Chris Evert once dropped a subtle remark to highlight the similarity of Fritz’s game with that of his mother? 

Chris Evert once claimed Taylor Fritz was similar to Kathy May in this aspect

Back in the day, Kathy May was ranked within the top 10 of the world. She also won seven WTA singles titles and made it to the quarterfinals of three Grand Slams—the French Open in 1977 and 1978, and the US Open in 1978. This was highlighted when Taylor Fritz reached the US Open quarterfinals in 2023. Watching the rising star ace his game, Evert took to X and wrote, “So, I’m watching @Taylor_Fritz97 remembering playing his mom, Kathy May in our era. She was a great competitor…. like mother, like son.”

May competed in four tour-level championships. And Evert was the winner in all four of them. Their first meeting was in Washington, DC, in 1977. The ESPN commentator defeated May with a score of 6-4, 6-3. The duo met once again in the 1977 season at the Hilton Head quarterfinals. This went in favor of the former world No. 1 as well. Their next match was in 1979, in Boston, and their final meeting was at the 1979 Wimbledon Championships. And as expected, Evert was the clear victor in all of them. 

But May wasn’t a weak player. She was the one who defeated Billie Jean King three times in her career. She also secured a win over Martina Navratilova in 1977. And now, she helps Taylor Fritz in his quest to become the best tennis player in the men’s world. Making it all the way at Flushing Meadows this year would certainly be a step in the right direction. Want to stay updated on his run there? Head to EssentiallySports’ live blog of the US Open.