"He has the right to pull out" - Fritz on Wimbledon Nadal clash

Tuesday, 26 July 2022 at 14:15

Updated at Wednesday, 04 December 2024 at 16:43

Fritz Taylor Wimbledon2022 MartinSidorjak11

bySam Frape

Taylor Fritz came very close to beating the legendary Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, with the American eventually losing in five sets.

Shortly following the match, the Spaniard announced that he would not be able to continue in the tournament, making the loss even more painful for Fritz.

A few weeks later the time had come to reflect on the whole situation. Speaking to the media, some may have expected him to think badly of Nadal, but Fritz's response was surprising in that sense.

While some may hold a grudge against the all-time Roland Garros winning star, Fritz does not feel the same way, saying how he enjoyed the match-up no matter how it ended up turning out.

“It was a huge match, and I wanted it. I saw early on in the tournament that it could be a quarterfinal and I said, I want that quarterfinal, and I got it, and I played well. I had my chances, could’ve gone either way. It sucks to lose obviously.”

Speaking with maturity and grace, the American went on to recognize that the man from Manacor was the better player on the day, saying that if he wanted to be in the semi-final, he had to play better than he did.

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“If I wanted to be in the semifinal, I should’ve beaten him. It’s as simple as that. If I didn’t beat him, I shouldn’t be moving on. I don’t deserve to be in the next match. It is what it is. He has the right to pull out."

At this stage of his career, every deep Grand Slam run is a blessing for the Spaniard, with fans left not knowing whether that will be the last time they will see him gracing those courts as a player.

As for Fritz, it is certainly a learning experience and one that seems to have taught him how to approach these crunch ties in the upcoming years.