"Taylor Fritz won't cry much" - American's Wimbledon 2R opponent Arthur Rinderknech throws shade ahead of match; recalls controversial Paris meeting

Arthur Rinderknech made damning comments about Taylor Fritz, his second-round opponent at Wimbledon, following a five-set victory over Kei Nishikori in his opener on Wednesday (July 3). He took offense at the American's complaints to the umpire regarding the local crowd during their previous match at the 2023 French Open.

Rinderknech fell two sets to one behind against former World No. 4 Nishikori during his first-round match at SW19, looking poised for a fourth consecutive loss at the grasscourt Major. However, the Frenchman showed immense resilience to rally to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2 win in three hours and 34 minutes.

Following the match, the World No. 76 gave his thoughts on his next match against Taylor Fritz. He recalled that the American had "whined a bit" about the partisan crowd during their lone encounter in Paris last year, insisting that the well-mannered spectators at the All England Club would likely bring the latter some peace.

"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 was quite miffed with the loud crowd during his 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Rinderknech in the second round of last year's French Open. The American even asked the umpire to quiet them down. He was also booed profusely by the spectators after his match-winning celebration, where he brought his index finger to his lips and shushed them.

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Taylor Fritz looking to reach his second Major quarterfinal of the year at Wimbledon

Taylor Frtiz reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 2022

Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz had little to no trouble dispatching his first-round opponent Christopher O'Connell, coming through with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win in one hour and 33 minutes. The American won a whopping 95 percent of his first serve points against the Aussie and converted five of the eight break points he created during his Wimbledon opener.

Fritz has had a respectable year on the ATP Tour, winning 32 of his 44 matches. The 26-year-old has already picked up titles at Delray Beach and Eastbourne. He also finished runner-up to local favorite Jan-Lennard Struff at the Munich Open in April.

The highlight of the World No. 12's 2024 season came at this year's Australian Open. He sprang up an upset win over 2023 finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the fourth round, before going down 6-7(3), 6-4, 2-6, 3-6 to 10-time titlist Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

During this fortnight at SW19, Taylor Fritz will be keen on tapping into the same form he had displayed in Melbourne. He previously reached the last-eight stage at the grasscourt Major in 2022, losing to two-time champion Rafael Nadal in a five-set battle that ended in a super tiebreaker.