 "Taylor Fritz plays a backhand return to Arthur Rinderknech during their second round match at Wimbledon. AP")
Taylor Fritz reignited his bitter feud with Arthur Rinderknech at Wimbledon when he told the Frenchman: “Dude, don’t disrespect me” and sarcastically wished him ‘a nice flight home.’
The 13th seed Fritz won their second-round clash 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 on Thursday.
Last year, Fritz had beaten Rinderknech in front of a partisan French crowd at Roland Garros and attracted the wrath of the locals by shushing them and sarcastically blowing kisses.
On the eve of their match, Rinderknech told French sports daily L’Equipe that Fritz had “whined” in Paris and that he thought the American “won’t cry as much” in London.
Fritz admitted those comments fired him up for their contest at the All England Club.
“When we shook hands, I just said, ‘Have a nice flight home’,” said Fritz.
“He asked me what I said. I told him what I said. He told me he was in doubles still. I said, ‘Oh, congrats, good for you’.
“Then he started acting like, ‘Why are you blah, blah, blah?’ I’m like, ‘Dude, you know what you said – don’t disrespect me before the match and then expect me to be all nice after the match’.”
Fritz will face Alejandro Tabilo of Chile for a place in the last 16.