"I was upset to see how much hate Frances and Jack got for winning against Federer" - says Fritz
ATP
Taylor Fritz was disappointed to see the treatment that Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock received after beating Roger Federer in his last career match at the 2022 Laver Cup.
Tiafoe and Sock got to experience something that not many tennis players will have a chance to experience. They stood on the opposite side of the net when Federer retired from the sport.
Like true competitors, they fought for every ball, not letting the Swiss Maestro into retirement with a walk in the part. They were so competitive that a couple of times, they fired balls at their opponents at the net, which is a standard tactic on the doubles court.
However, after the match, both received plenty of hateful comments from fans, who thought that the American duo was being disrespectful toward the legends on the opposite side of the court.
Fritz, who was part of the victorious Team World, recently spoke to The New York Times, and in the interview, he also mentioned this year's Laver Cup. Instead of talking about their win, Fritz mentioned the treatment that Tiafoe and Sock received after beating Federer and Nadal.
"I was pretty upset to see how much hate Frances and Jack got for winning the match and Frances got for hitting Roger or hitting the ball at Rafa at net."
Fritz explained that while many tennis fans see it as an exhibition, it is not an exhibition for them. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were involved, which is why everyone tried their best.
"This is not an exhibition. We are playing for a lot and for a lot of money. It bothered me a lot because I know Roger would have absolutely hated it if they just gave it to him."
Fritz recently won the Japan Open in Tokyo, which was a reason to be happy. But the American player admitted that he also shed a tear recently. That came when he saw Federer retire from the sport.
"I definitely cried a lot more than I thought I was going to."
