"Dealt with lot worse" - Taylor Fritz calls Turin crowd 'nothing'; revisits past bitter experiences with crowds after ATP Finals loss to Jannik Sinner

Taylor Fritz called the Turin crowd 'nothing' in comparison to his past experiences with crowds after his defeat to home favorite Jannik Sinner in the final of the 2024 ATP Finals. The American No. 1 lost to the World No. 1 4-6, 4-6.

Fritz had lost to the Sinner in the group stages of the year-end finals as well, but his wins over Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur helped him qualify for the semifinals, where he defeated the second seed Alexander Zverev in a blockbuster three-setter to set up a 2024 US Open final rematch.

However, the American couldn't get his revenge on the Italian, who clinched an impressive eighth title of the season.

During the presentation, Taylor Fritz received raucous applause from the Turin crowd, who showed the 27-year-old appreciation even though he went up against their home favorite, Sinner. The applause was so long that he left a smile on Fritz's face, who was unable to begin his speech.

During his post-match press conference, Taylor Fritz was asked about the difficulties he faced while playing Jannik Sinner in Turin, his home crowd. Fritz responded that he had dealt with a 'lot worse' with respect to home crowds seemingly referring to his experience at the 2023 French Open.

"I mean, I'm not sure if you're aware of some of my history of playing matches in opposing country crowds. I've dealt with a lot worse. This is nothing."

Fritz was playing home favorite Arthur Rinderknech in the second round but was faced with incessant boos from the crowd. As soon as he clinched the match, the American started 'shushing' the crowd, which added fuel to the fire. He was unable to take his on-court interview properly because the boos didn't stop.

At the time, he sarcastically remarked:

"They cheered so well for me, I wanted to make sure I won."

However, the controversy didn't end there. Ahead of their clash at Wimbledon 2024, Arthur Rinderknech's comments gave rise to a heated battle between the duo.

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"Taylor Fritz won't cry as much" - How Arthur Rinderknech called out American after he 'whined' at French Open

Taylor Fritz (Source: Getty)

Ahead of his second-round clash with Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon 2024, Arthur Rinderknech called out the American's 'whiny' French Open behavior and said that he wouldn't cry as much amidst a neutral crowd in London.

"He [Taylor Fritz] won’t cry as much. He whined a bit saying it was too noisy," Arthur Rinderknech said (via Quentin Moynet). "I hold no grudge against him but he was wrong if he thought the crowd would send him kisses in between points."

Fritz notched the win and told Rinderknech to have a nice flight home during their handshake. The French tried to have a conversation with the American but he said,

"You know what you did."

Fritz later cleared up what happened during their fiery handshake. He said he is a calm person but if someone pokes him the wrong way on purpose, he has to give it back to them. The American confirmed that he had told the Frenchman to have a 'nice flight home'.

“As soon as I saw it, the match was basically over. I'm a very chill person. I don't do anything that could rub people the wrong way, so when someone kind of just goes out of their way to take a shot at me, then I'm not just going to take it. It gave me the extra fire to win. When we shook hands, I just said have a nice flight home," Taylor Fritz said. (via Gasper Lanca)

Nick Kyrgios, who is known for his on-court antics, enjoyed Taylor Fritz's cheeky comments and felt that tennis needed this.