Fiery scenes as Taylor Fritz scolds rival at net following second round
Fiery scenes have unfolded at Wimbledon after an American star confronted his opponent at the net following their second round match.
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Novak Djokovic’s path back to the Wimbledon final is suddenly littered with Australians after Alexei Popyrin and Alex de Minaur booked their spots in the third round overnight Thursday.
De Minaur looked in a rush to make it to girlfriend Katie Boulter’s match in a 6-2 6-2 7-5 win against Jaume Munar, before Popyrin delivered a giant upset of 30th seed Tomas Etcheverry, winning 3-6 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3.
Popyrin, 24, has never made it past the third round of a grand slam but will get the chance to correct that against Djokovic after the seven-time champion battled past Britain’s Jacob Fearnley 6-3 6-4 5-7 7-5.
It could have been even better for Australia but relatively unknown Queenslander Adam Walton fell at the final hurdle in a heartbreaking 7-5 1-6 6-7 (12-14) 6-1 7-6 (10-8) loss to Francisco Comesana.
Thanasi Kokkinakis was also shattered after being forced to withdraw. He raced to a one-set lead against Lucas Pouille before his troublesome knee again played up in a 2-6 7-5 5-2 walkover. Pouille will now play de Minaur.
Djokovic’s quarter of the draw opened up slightly when 7th seed Hubert Hurkacz withdrew after also suffering a knee injury while down match point against Arthur Fils.
If Djokovic can make it past Popyrin and then navigate a likely fourth-round match against Holger Rune, the Serb could find de Minaur waiting for him in the final eight.
Fiery post-match scenes rock Wimbledon
American star Taylor Fritz was in a fighting mood after defeating France’s Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in their second round contest.
The two faced off in a fiery 2023 French Open match which ended with Fritz shushing the crowd after securing the win.
In the lead up to their second round match Rinderknech referenced that match and delivered a not-so-subtle shot at his opponent.
“The atmosphere will be quieter (than at Roland-Garros) and he won’t cry as much,” he said.
“He whined a bit saying it was too noisy. I hold no grudge against him, but he was wrong if he thought the French crowd would send him kisses in between points.”
Fritz heard those remarks and after sending the world number 76 home, he let him know about it at the net.
“I just said, ‘Have a nice flight home,’” Fritz recounted.
The American then noted that the Frenchman had pointed out he was still playing in the doubles.
“I said, ‘Oh, congrats. Good for you’,” he said.
“Then he started acting like, ‘Why are you blah, blah, blah?’ I’m like, ‘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.”
Fritz will take on 24th-seeded Alejandro Tabilo of Chile on Saturday for a spot in the fourth round.
Everyone in tears as Andy Murray given classy send off
There was barely a dry eye in the house as Andy Murray was given a classy farewell at Wimbledon following his elimination from the men’s doubles draw on Friday morning.
Murray wept openly in front of his adoring fans before admitting: “I wish I could play forever.”
Murray, a two-time singles champion at Wimbledon, and brother Jamie were defeated 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 by Rinky Hijikata and John Peers of Australia in the first round.
It was the first episode of a retirement three-parter — the 37-year-old Murray is scheduled to play mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon before he retires at the Paris Olympics.
After having a metal hip inserted in 2019, suffering ankle damage this year and undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his spine which ruled him out of singles at Wimbledon, Murray has reluctantly accepted the writing is on the wall.
His career has yielded three Grand Slam titles, two Olympic golds, a Davis Cup and the world number-one ranking.
“Look it’s hard because I would love to keep playing but I can’t. Physically it is too tough now, all of the injuries, they have added up and they haven’t been insignificant,” he said.
“I want to play forever, I love the sport and it’s given me so much. It’s taught me loads of lessons over the years I can use for the rest of my life. I don’t want to stop so it is hard.”
He added: “It was obviously really special to play with Jamie.
“We never got the chance to do it before (at Wimbledon). It was a bit of a race to get out here. Physically, it wasn’t easy but I am glad we did it.”
Tears flowed when video tributes were paid to Murray by a number of stars including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
“You were never alone,” said eight-time Wimbledon champion and 20-time Slam champion Federer, the man defeated on Centre Court when Murray claimed Olympic gold in 2012.
“While you carried your own dreams, you also carried theirs.”
Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion at the All England Club and the holder of 22 majors, said: “We were proud to play against you.”
Seven-time Wimbledon champion and the winner of 23 women’s Grand Slams Serena Williams told Murray: “Your golden days belonged to everybody.” Career-long rival Novak Djokovic was courtside Thursday to witness Murray’s emotional evening in the spotlight.
“Sometimes it looked like you against the world,” said Djokovic, the holder of 24 Slams and seven Wimbledon titles in admiration of a man born a week before him in 1987.
Murray received a standing ovation when he walked onto Centre Court alongside his brother, older by 15 months and a winner of two Grand Slam men’s doubles titles.
Family members including mother Judy, father William, wife Kim and daughters Sophia, eight, and six-year-old Edie, watched from the players’ box.
Djokovic ‘not comfortable in own skin’
Djokovic was made to fight by British outsider Fearnley before reaching the third round for the 18th time.
Djokovic had to save two break points midway through the fourth set before seeing off the challenge of the world number 277.
“I had never seen him play so there is always the element of surprise,” admitted Djokovic.
“He had nothing to lose and served well. I was a little lucky in the fourth set. I could have won the match in three and it could have gone to a fifth. The way he was playing, I’m glad it didn’t.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic had cruised through the first two sets on Centre Court against a player who was making his Grand Slam debut this week.
He was a break up in the third to lead 3-2 but Fearnley, who was still playing university tennis in the United States last month, retrieved the break immediately.
He then rode the momentum to claim the third set.
Fearnley forced the 24-time Grand Slam champion to save two break points in the sixth game of the fourth set.
Djokovic made the Briton pay for his failure to convert the advantage and gained a final crucial break in the 11th game before serving out the match.
“I didn’t really feel comfortable in my own skin in the third and fourth sets,” said Djokovic.
“But sometimes you have rough days when you don’t feel your best. It’s a win and I’ll take it.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas was not able to avoid the banana peel in his path, losing in four sets to Emil Ruusuvuori 7-6 7-6 3-6 6-3.
Pegula biggest female scalp to fall
Jessica Pegula became the highest-ranked player to be dumped out of Wimbledon so far on Thursday, losing 6-4, 6-7 (7/9), 6-1 to China’s Wang Xinyu in the second round.
The American, ranked fifth in the world, battled back after losing the first set, saving a match point in the second-set tie-break, before levelling the match.
But China’s 42nd-ranked Wang raced into a 5-0 lead in the decider before wrapping up the contest to record her first win against a top-10 player.
Wang, 22, said: “Couple of days ago I was asking my coach, ‘When will this happen?’ “Jessica was really tough to play on grass. Her ball was super low and I’m just really happy I won in the end.”
Wang will face Britain’s Harriet Dart, who defeated Nottingham champion Boulter, for a spot in the last 16.
Defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova earlier this week became the first defending women’s champion to lose in the first round for 30 years.
- with AFP
Originally published as Fiery scenes as Taylor Fritz scolds rival at net following second round
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