"Makes me want to fly on jets more" - Taylor Fritz 'jokes' after being annoyed by climate protestors interrupting Citi Open clash against Andy Murray

Taylor Fritz has expressed his disapproval of the protestors who interrupted his Citi Open clash against Andy Murray, though he stated that he understood the reasons and significations behind their actions.

Fritz took on Murray in Washington on Friday, August 4, with a place in the quarterfinals on the line. In the three-hour marathon encounter that followed, Fritz prevailed 6-7,(2), 6-3, 6-4.

The nail-biting action was, however, briefly interrupted when a group of climate protesters threw giant tennis balls with flames printed on them onto the court and had to be escorted from the stands.

Speaking at the press conference after the match, Fritz said that he understood the reasons behind the protests but questioned why they had to fight for their cause by "annoying" everyone else.

"My thoughts on it in general are, like, I get they're protesting, but, like, there's just got to be a better way to do it. Who's going to -- like, I don't understand how people are going to get behind a cause when you're ruining everyone else's good time. Like, it doesn't really make sense to me," he said.

"I said, as a joke, Oh, wow -- because it's annoying obviously when they do it. It's ruining everyone's time. Everyone wants to watch the tennis," he added.

Fritz further stated that their actions made him joke about how he wanted to fly on airplanes, considered a major cause of global warming, even more.

"So I jokingly said, 'Honestly, this makes me want to go fly on jets more'. I think, you know, they're supporting a good cause, but the way they're doing it, like, who's going to want to listen when they're just annoying everybody," he opined.

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Taylor Fritz breezes past Jordan Thompson to reach Citi Open semifinals

Taylor Fritz in action at the 2023 Citi Open.

Taylor Fritz built on his hard-fought win over Andy Murray by defeating Jordan Thompson to advance to the semifinals of the 2023 Citi Open.

After a grueling three-hour encounter against Murray, Fritz had a much easier time against Thompson. He won the contest 6-3, 6-3 to extend his current winning streak to seven matches, which started with his Atlanta title run last week.

After the win, the American stated that he has been working hard to ensure he put together a good run in the "most physically demanding" part of the year.

"I've put in a lot of work the last couple of weeks before coming here. I knew that this is one of the most physically demanding parts of the season, playing in the heat," he said.

Twelfth seed Tallon Griekspoor stands between Fritz and a place in the Citi Open final. The two are scheduled to lock horns on Saturday, August 5. If Fritz manages to defeat Griekspoor, he will replace Casper Ruud in the eighth spot on the ATP Live Race To Turin standings.