Taylor Fritz made the headlines during his French open campaign but mostly for reasons other than his tennis. Up against Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the second round, Fritz faced a lot of hostility from the crowd that was naturally rooting for one of their own. To his credit, however, the American maintained his cool and composure, going about his business without getting distracted or faltering. It was after winning the match, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, that Fritz retaliated and gave it back to the spectators by putting his finger against his lips, asking the fans to quiet down.
Now, as he prepares for the Wimbledon Championship, Fritz has once again spoken out against the treatment he’d received in Paris. He did not shy away from criticizing the behavior of the French fans and does not expect a similar reception in London, where he has had better experiences previously.
Taylor Fritz understands but does not forget
The hostile dynamic between Fritz and the French crowd may have provided for a lot of fodder for the media and fans; however, it clearly did not do Fritz any favors as he fell in the very next round of the Major in Paris.
While he is now preparing for Wimbledon, he still hasn’t forgotten his less than ideal experience at the clay Major as is evident from the conversation he had with iNews.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for like, root for your guy, cheer for him. I don’t expect to go out there and have people cheering for me [in Paris].
“But I would appreciate just the decency of letting me serve a second serve after I miss my first serve. Literally throwing a party every time I miss a first serve is pretty crazy.”
Fritz showed a lot of maturity and intelligence in the way he dealt with the whole situation. He waited until the match had ended to have his say but then being a great sport, even signed autographs for those who asked.
“I didn’t want to do anything during the match because then it’s just going to make it worse and it was already just insane. I felt like I was respectful because I didn’t want to make it worse the whole time.
“So then when it was over, I said, ‘Whatever, if I’m going to take this s**t for three hours, I’m allowed to do this, it’s fine’. I feel like the fans should understand if they’re going to give it to me for three hours, then I’m totally within my boundaries to do that.”
Not a great start to Wimbledon preparations
But now, with the second Grand Slam of the year behind him, Taylor is looking at what he expects to be a much happier experience on the grass Major that is about to start in a couple of days.
“It’s definitely not going to be the same at Wimbledon.”
His preparation for the same, however, hasn’t been good, winning just two matches in the last three events he’s appeared in following the French Open. The World No. 9 will face Yannick Hanfmann in his first round.
His grass season may not have gotten off to a great start but Taylor will be pumped up to show his worth at the All England Club. It is the Major where he has had the best showing of his career after all, having reached the quarterfinals just last year.
