Alexander Zverev suggested that Taylor Fritz’s supporters were guilty of over-celebrating during their Wimbledon clash - while the American's girlfriend claimed his win from two sets down was "for the girls".
Fritz beat Zverev 4-6 6-7 6-4 7-6 6-3 on Centre Court to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. The No.13 seed put in a heroic performance to weather the storm and turn things around against Zverev, who was hampered by a knee injury sustained in his win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the previous round.
The winning moment was followed by a long discussion between the two players at net, which lingered long enough to hint at some annoyance from the German No.4 seed. Asked about what was discussed, Zverev said that, while Fritz had not irked him, his family and fans had done so.
“Me and Taylor, we grew up together, playing each other since juniors,” he said. “I think 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 dropshots. If I was running for a dropshot, I was limping there more than running.
“Towards the end, I thought from the fourth and fifth set, I was really struggling to serve, as well, to jump off on my leg, to create some power.
“His team is extremely respectful. I think his coach, his physio, also his second coach, they're extremely respectful. I think there's some other people that maybe are in the box that are not maybe from the tennis world, that are not maybe from particularly watching every single match. They were a bit over the top.
“That's okay. No issues. No drama. He fought back from two sets to love, so they're obviously all excited, very pumped up, yeah. But no issues with Taylor. I think Taylor is a great guy. I have absolutely no issues with him.”
Asked about the interaction at the net, Fritz said: "I mean, at the net, like, it's no big deal. I think he felt that he was for parts, I guess towards the end of the fifth at least, kind of limping around a bit. I think he was annoyed at some people in my box just being loud, cheering for me. Honestly, I can't hear. I don't know. Like, no big deal. He said it's nothing towards me or anything like that."
Pressed further, the American tried to play it down. "I don't really hear my box when I'm playing like that. I didn't hear anyone being, like, extremely loud," he added. "He's totally allowed to be annoyed if they were being annoying. Like, again, I don't know. That's one of the things I asked him at the net, Who was it? Yeah, I mean, again, it's not a big thing. It's all good."
Fritz’s girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, was part of the support team on Centre Court and took to Instagram during the match to share her thoughts. The 26-year-old influencer is well known in the tennis world for sharing their life on tour. The couple, who have been dating since 2020, were featured in the Netflix series Break Point and Riddle has stated that she “wants to make tennis cool again”.
Writing to her 313,000 followers, she wrote: “Cheer loud ladies” alongside a picture of the court before posting a video of her celebrating the win with the caption “when your man wins for the girls”. The social media influencer appeared to then delete her post as it was no longer visible on her page.
Last month, the court case against Zverev for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend was terminated after a settlement was reached. The German was contesting a penalty order and fine of €450,000 (£380,000) issued last October.
The 27-year-old, ranked fourth in the world, has always maintained his innocence and the settlement does not include an admission of guilt. A court spokesperson told the PA news agency: “I can confirm that the court has terminated the proceedings with the consent of the public prosecution office.
“The defendant must pay an amount of €200,000 (£169,000). Of this, €150,000 (£126,000) go to the state treasury, the rest goes to non-profit organisations. The decision is not a verdict and it does not involve a decision about guilt or innocence.
“One decisive factor for the court decision was that the witness has expressed her wish to end the trial. The defendant agreed to the termination of the case.”
Speaking about the case ahead of the French Open, Zverev said: “I do believe in the German system. I do believe in the truth, as well. I have to be certain that I do know what I did, I do know what I didn’t do. I do believe that I’m not going to lose this procedure. There’s absolutely no chance I am."