It’s been a tough tour for American players at Wimbledon. While Ben Shelton was already out in the round of 16, Taylor Fritz bowed out at the quarter-finals stage. As Fritz wrote a heartfelt note, expressing his disappointment for not making it any further, Shelton took a hilariously sly dig at him.
Taylor Fritz took to Instagram and expressed how much it hurts to fall just short of the target. Fritz lost a 5-setter against Lorenzo Musetti, where he was fighting tooth and nail till the last set. Musetti won 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in the quarter-final.
Fritz also wrote that it’s part and parcel of the game and there is nothing he can do about it now, except rest and “have a good flight home.” The last phrase in his post became the center of Ben Shelton’s funny comment.
Shelton wrote in the comments, “Safe Flight,” following it up with “I already had one myself.”
What’s interesting about it is, that Fritz had said “Have a safe flight home” to Arthur Rindkernech a few days ago after beating him. Fritz put the final nail in the coffin of his feud with Arthur Rindkernech. It was a savage response from the American to the Frenchman who had previously asked Fritz not to cry more.
Naturally, the response made headlines soon after. So when Shelton, a very good friend of Fritz, wrote that comment, he was hearkening back to Fritz’s savage response to Rindkernech. Only a really good friend can take a sensitive subject like that, amidst the heartbreaking feeling of a loss, and still make fun of it.
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Moreover, Shelton too is out of Wimbledon after losing to Jannik Sinner in the round of 16. He lost 2-6, 4-6, 6-7 (9-11).
Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton Are Friendship Goals in Tennis
The current group of American players like Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Reilly Opelka, and even Coco Gauff, are pretty close to each other. They are all friends, some more than the others, off the court as well. Shelton and Fritz are the two people who share good vibes.
Before this hilarious dig, Shelton has also said previously that Fritz is the best person to go out on dinners with. Even there he made fun of him, by saying that Fritz’s girlfriend Morgan Riddle, and not Fritz, has the best culinary taste. Therefore, it’s never a bad idea to tag along with him.
As for Fritz, he needs to take a rest for a short while before he is back on that flight to Paris. He will be leading the charge of the American contingent at the Paris Olympics. Shelton, who isn’t part of the contingent for the Olympics, will rest a little longer before focusing on the American swing.
