"Have a nice flight home" - Taylor Fritz confronts Arthur Rinderknech for 'disrespect' over 'whining' claims in heated exchange after Wimbledon 2R win

Taylor Fritz reserved some strong words for Arthur Rinderknech as he confronted the Frenchman over the "disrespectful" remarks he made before their second-round clash at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. The duo engaged in a heated exchange at the net, putting their contentious history on display.

Fritz and Rinderknech clashed in the second round of the grasscourt Major, with the ghosts of their contentious meeting at the 2023 French Open still lingering in their minds. During their meeting in Paris, the crowd had rallied behind the home favorite and subjected Fritz to jeers and boos, to which he responded by emphatically shushing the spectators after beating the Frenchman.

Ahead of their Wimbledon rematch, Rinderknech hit out at Taylor Fritz for "whining" over his lack of crowd support during their French Open encounter, suggesting that the American would have less to "cry" about at SW19.

"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."

Against the backdrop of the Frenchman's incendiary remarks, the duo battled it out for a place in the third round of the grasscourt Major. Taylor Fritz delivered an impressive performance to claim a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory, extending his winning record against Rinderknech to 2-0.

Their feud reared its head after the match, as the duo engaged in a tense exchange at the net.

When Rinderknech approached Fritz at his bench to continue the discussion, World No. 12 swiftly shut it down, asserting that the Frenchman was aware of his actions that had prompted the hostility.

"You know what you did," Taylor Fritz said.

"I know what I did?" Rinderknech questioned.

"Yeah, you know what you did," Fritz replied.

Taylor Fritz later shed light on their contentious net exchange, revealing that he had sarcastically wished Arthur Rinderknech a pleasant journey home after ending his Wimbledon campaign. The American also expressed his displeasure over Rinderknech taking a shot at him before the match.

"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," Fritz said (via tennis journalist Gaspar Ribeiro Lanca).

Furthermore, Fritz condemned Rinderknech's attempts to downplay his behavior, asserting that he wouldn't tolerate being "disrespected" by the 28-year-old.

"He asked me what I said. I told him what I said. He told me he was in doubles still. I said, Oh, congrats, good for you. Then he started acting like, Why are you blah, blah, blah? I'm like, Dude, you know what you said. You know what you said. Don't disrespect me before the match and then expect me to be all nice after the match. That's not how it works," he added.

Taylor Fritz to take on Alejandro Tabilo in Wimbledon 3R after win over Arthur Rinderknech

Taylor Fritz (Source: Getty)

Following his win over Arthur Rinderknech, Taylor Fritz will square off against Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. Tabilo claimed a hard-fought 7-6(4), 7-6(4), 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 win over Flavio Cobolli to book his place against the American.

The World No. 12 enjoys a 2-0 lead in his head-to-head record against Tabilo, having defeated the Chilean 7-6(2), 6-2 in their most recent clash at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters.

If Fritz secures his third straight win over Tabilo, he will take on the winner of the match between Alexander Zverev and Cameron Norrie in a blockbuster fourth-round clash.