Bjorn Fratangelo, one of the country's top young players, turned pro in 2012 and since then has won nine USTA Pro Circuit and ITF-level singles titles. As a junior, the 22-year-old Pittsburgh native reached No. 2 in the ITF World Junior Rankings and became the first American since John McEnroe in 1977 to win the French Open boys’ singles title. Fratangelo, who is named after tennis legend Bjorn Borg, is currently in Indian Wells, Calif., to compete at the BNP Paribas Open, where he will take on Joshua Milton in the first round of qualifying on Tuesday. He is writing a blog for USTA.com about his on- and off-court activities from Indian Wells, so stay tuned for more updates.
March 7, 2016
Hey everyone! It’s Bjorn Fratangelo here, blogging to you about my time out at Indian Wells. I will be sharing the blog with my good buddy Mitchell Krueger, so I hope you enjoy our writing!
I arrived In LA a little over a week ago to prepare at USTA West in Carson. Tom Gullikson put together a men's and women's training camp here, and it was awesome to get the U.S. guys in a competitive atmosphere before a great event, such as the BNP Paribas Open. We arrived last Saturday in the desert to get used to the courts, weather, etc. It’s very important to get a feel for where you’re playing, so I usually like to get to tournaments two or three days before my first match.
I’ve been training well, putting in the hard yards on court and in the gym. As my match comes closer, I have calmed down with the quantity of work I’ve been doing to make sure I’m fresh physically and mentally for tomorrow.
I had a good day of training, which started at 11:30 a.m. with my fitness coach, Gabriel. We worked on some quickness and speed drills to make sure I’m feeling light on my feet for my first round, and also it was a good warm up for my 1 p.m. practice. I was hitting the ball very clean today, and hopefully my practice will carry over to my match. I just went one solid hour of points, followed by some treatment with Bret Waltz, who is our physio from Boca Raton.
After the work day was over, I showered up and got some lunch. It’s nice to relax and look at the surroundings of the beautiful tournament. It really is one of a kind, in terms of atmosphere and surroundings. The tournament staff does an incredible job of making the players feel as comfortable as possible. With that being said, I hope to extend my stay here as long as I possibly can!
That's all from me. The next blog will be written by Mitch. Stay tuned for his thoughts on the tournament ahead! Thanks for reading!
Bjorn Fratangelo
Bjorn Fratangelo does some drills to prepare for his first match at the BNP Paribas Open.