After Taylor Fritz deposited a backhand that Alexander Zverev didn’t even chase, wrapping up the American’s comeback from a two-set hole in Wimbledon’s fourth round, the men met at the net for what turned into a longer-than-usual chat.
Zverev, playing with a bone bruise in his right knee, said he was bothered by some of the cheering coming from Fritz’s guest box in the fifth set.
When Fritz began to move away, the world No.4 stuck his chest to block the path and continued the mostly one-sided exchange.
READ MORE: De Minaur’s grim reaction despite winning at Wimbledon
READ MORE: ‘In a fog’: Star breaks down for devastating reason
READ MORE: Maroons are making Fifita claims that don’t stack up
Fritz’s influencer girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, ignited a feud following the match as she appeared to take aim at Zverev on social media.
Zverev was accused by his former girlfriend and mother of his child last year of domestic abuse.
The case was settled last month when Zverev agreed to pay $321,000 but did not admit guilt. A Berlin court recorded no result in the case.
Riddle on Tuesday posted a video on her Instagram story during the match captioned: “cheer loud ladies”. A second story was posted following her partner’s victory, where she held a drink in celebration with the caption: “when your man wins 4 the girls”.
Both stories have been deleted.
Watch Wimbledon 2024 live and exclusively free on Nine and 9Now. Plus centre court in 4K UHD on Stan Sport, the home of grand slam tennis.
Riddle’s Instagram post during play. Instagram
Riddle’s Instagram post following the match. Instagram
It wasn’t the 13th-seeded Fritz’s only noteworthy post match interaction at the All England Club this fortnight, having told an earlier opponent to “have a nice flight home”.
However, he seemingly shrugged that one off, more interested in thinking about the way he turned things around to defeat two-time grand slam finalist Zverev 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.
“It was amazing,” said Fritz, a 26-year-old from California.
“To do that on Centre Court (at) Wimbledon, two sets down.”
Zverev said later that his issue wasn’t with Fritz or his two coaches, but rather with others in the winner’s support group “that are not maybe from the tennis world, that are not maybe (used to) watching every single match; they were a bit over the top”.
“He’s totally allowed to be annoyed if they were being annoying… That’s one of the things I asked him at the net, ‘Who was it?’” said Fritz, who next meets 25th-seeded Lorenzo Musetti, a first-time slam quarter-finalist.
“It’s not a big thing. It’s all good.”
Fritz (L) with Zverev (R). Getty
The implication from Zverev was that there was no need for the entourage to be acting quite so excited when his knee, which was covered by a grey sleeve after a fall in the previous round, was such a significant factor in the outcome.
“I was playing on one leg,” Zverev said.
“It was fairly obvious that I wasn’t 100 per cent today, right? I wasn’t moving, really, the entire match. I wasn’t running for drop shots. If I was running for a drop shot, I was limping there more than running.”
The three and a half-hour match, played with the main stadium’s retractable roof shut, was the 35th to go five sets at Wimbledon this year, tying the record for the most at any slam event in the Open era, which began in 1968.
Fritz’s comeback is the 11th from a two-set deficit in this edition of the grass-court tournament, more than in any other year.
This will be Fritz’s fourth major quarter-final and second at Wimbledon, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in 2022.
Fritz celebrates victory. Getty
He is 0-3 at that stage; the other two setbacks came against Novak Djokovic.
“This will be my first quarter final where I’m the more experienced person,” Fritz said.
Fritz joins friend Tommy Paul in the final eight, giving the United States two men that deep in the tournament for the first time since 2000.
The other quarter-final on the bottom half of the men’s draw will be Australia’s No.9 Alex de Minaur against seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic, who dismissed No. 15 Holger Rune 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in Monday night’s last match on Centre Court.