American tennis player Taylor Fritz faced backlash from the French Open crowd after beating Arthur Rinderknech, the last French player in the bracket. The 25-year-old Californian, who is the ninth seed at Roland Garros, was met with boos and whistles from the crowd. In response, Fritz told the crowd to quiet down multiple times.
After his 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 comeback victory over Rinderknech in the second round, Fritz got into a back-and-forth with the fans at Court Suzanne Lenglen. Rinderknech attempted a lob that landed long on the last point, and Fritz, who had been running toward the baseline to chase the ball, immediately looked up into the stands and pressed his right index finger to his lips to say, essentially, “Hush!”
He held that pose for a bit as he headed back toward the net for a post-match handshake, then spread his arms wide, windmilled them a bit as if to egg on the rowdiness, and yelled: “Come on! I want to hear it!”
Fritz Responds to Crowd’s Jeers During Winner’s On-Court Interview
During the customary winner’s on-court interview that followed, more jeers rained down on Fritz, and 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli kept pausing her attempts to ask a question into her microphone. So Fritz again said, “Shhhhh!” and put his finger toward his mouth, while Bartoli unsuccessfully tried to get the spectators to lower their decibel level.
More boos and whistles followed as both Bartoli and a stadium announcer kept saying, “S’il vous plaît” — “Please!” — to no avail. Fritz stood there with his arms crossed. A few U.S. supporters with signs and flags drew Fritz’s attention from the front row, and he looked over and said to them, “I love you guys.”
Fritz’s Remarks about the French Open Crowd
Fritz, who has been featured on the Netflix docuseries about tennis called “Break Point,” had a message on his mind. One reminiscent of Daniil Medvedev’s contretemps with fans at the 2019 US Open. “I came out and the crowd was so great honestly. Like, the crowd was just so great,” Fritz said as folks tried to drown out his voice. “They cheered so well for me, I wanted to make sure that I won. Thanks, guys.”
Fritz Exits the Stage
With that, Fritz exited the stage, leaving the French Open crowd with mixed feelings. Fritz’s response to the jeers and boos is not the first instance of a tennis player responding to a hostile crowd. The incident reminds us of the importance of sportsmanship, respect for players, and the role of the audience in sports.
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