Taylor Fritz told his Wimbledon opponent, Arthur Rinderknech, to “have a nice flight home” after defeating him in a second-round match on Thursday.
After Fritz, the 13th-seeded American, clinched a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory over France’s Rinderknech at the All England Club, the two exchanged words at the net. This match was a rematch from last year’s French Open, where Fritz also emerged victorious in front of a spirited crowd.
Rinderknech had made a reference to their previous encounter before Thursday’s match, which didn’t sit well with Fritz.
“I’m a pretty relaxed person. I don’t intentionally do anything to upset others. So, when someone decides to take a jab at me, I’m not just going to let it slide,” said Fritz, who hails from California. “It motivated me even more to win.”
During their post-match handshake, Fritz conveyed his parting words.
“I simply said, ‘Have a nice flight home,’” Fritz explained. According to Fritz, Rinderknech responded by mentioning that he was still competing in doubles.
“I replied, ‘Oh, congratulations. Good for you.’ Then he acted surprised, like ‘Why are you upset?’ I told him, ‘Dude, you know exactly what you said.’ You can’t disrespect me before a match and then expect me to be friendly afterwards,” said Fritz, who will face 24th-seeded Alejandro Tabilo of Chile in the next round on Saturday. “That’s not how it works.”
