Taylor Fritz has a cold exchange with her opponent after the Wimbledon match

Taylor Fritz had a cold exchange with Arthur Rinderknech after her second round match at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, England on Thursday.

Fritz won the match against the Frenchman 6:3, 6:4, 3:6, 6:4. After the match, the two went to the net to shake hands. After shaking hands, Fritz wished Rinderknech “a nice flight home”.

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Taylor Fritz:
“Have a safe flight home.” 😂#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Cbbh9MsRTl

— Myles David (@TunedIntoTennis) July 4, 2024

Why the negative news? The reason was a statement made by Rinderknech before the game on Thursday.

Rinderknech was asked to compare the two’s clash at the French Open last year to the atmosphere he expected at the All England Club. Rinderknech responded in French, saying the atmosphere was more relaxed than when they met at the French Open, when the home crowd favored Rinderknech. Rinderknech also said that Fritz would probably not complain/whine as much in their Wimbledon match as he did in their French Open match.

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Rinderknech, before insulting Fritz: “The atmosphere will be calmer (like with Roland in 2023) and he will have a bit more fun. He will be a bit exhausted. I have nothing against him, but if he makes sure that the French audience gives him kisses between the legs, it will be bad.”

— Quentin Moynet (@QuentinMoynet) July 3, 2024

“The atmosphere will be calmer (than at Roland in 2023) and he will cry a little less. He was a little whiny. I have nothing against him, but if he expected the French crowd to give him kisses between points, it was bad timing,” Rinderknech said, according to Google Translate.

Fritz saw the quote and was not happy about it.

“As soon as I saw it, the game was basically over. I’m a very relaxed person. I don’t do anything that might upset people, so if someone goes out of their way to attack me, I’m not going to take it lying down. That gave me that extra motivation to win. When we shook hands, all I wanted to do was have a nice flight home,” Fritz told reporters after the game.

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Fritz on Rinderknech’s comments: “As soon as I saw it, the match was basically over. I’m a very relaxed person. I don’t do anything that could upset people. So if someone goes to the trouble of attacking me, I’m not going to just let it happen. It…

— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) July 4, 2024

When Rinderknech asked Fritz about the strange handshake after the match, Fritz said to his opponent: “You know what you did.”

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Taylor Fritz to Arthur Rinderknech after their match at Wimbledon

Taylor: “You know what you did.”

Arthur: “I know what I did?”

Taylor: “Yeah, you know what you did.”

pic.twitter.com/P7357RN6np

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 4, 2024

Fritz went into more detail about the situation after the game.

“He asked me what I said. I told him what I said. He told me he was still in doubles. I said, ‘Oh, congratulations, good for you.’ Then he started acting like, ‘Why are you so blah, blah, blah?’ I said, ‘Dude, you know what you said. You know what you said.’ Don’t disrespect me before the match and then expect me to be all nice after the match. That’s not how it works.”

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More from Fritz: “He asked me what I said. I told him what I said. He told me he was still in doubles. I said, oh, congratulations, good for you. Then he started acting like he was saying, why are you so blah, blah, blah? I said, dude, you know what you said. You know what you said. Be respectful…

— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) July 4, 2024

Fritz remembers very well what happened at the French Open last year. After his victory, he silenced the crowd and was then booed by fans for a minute and a half while they waited for his interview on court.

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Taylor Fritz silences the crowd at the French Open after defeating Arthur Rinderknech, telling them “I love you guys” after they booed him for 1 minute and 30 seconds. pic.twitter.com/6070OTgiNa

— Tennis Reaction Videos (@DominicMEME) July 3, 2024

Fritz took matters personally on Thursday and then went about his business on the court. He has advanced to the third round of the tournament. The 26-year-old American’s best previous result at Wimbledon was a quarterfinal appearance in 2022.