"The first & last time we play together" - Karen Khachanov jokes about ending partnership with Taylor Fritz after losing in Queen's Club doubles final

Karen Khachnov and Taylor Fritz took the 2024 Queen’s Club doubles field by storm, taking out not one but two seeded pairs en-route to the final. Their run, however, came to an end after they suffered a drubbing in the summit clash.

The first-time pair lost to Michael Venus and Neal Skupski, going down in a super tiebreaker 6-4, 6-7(5), 5-10.

Both Khachanov and Fritz still had plenty of positives to take away from their week at the Queen’s Club. The Russian in particular saw the lighter side of things after losing.

On being asked about what clicked about them as a pairing during the trophy presentation ceremony, Khachanov jokingly said “absolutely nothing”. He went on to add that the loss would bring an end to his partnership with Taylor Fritz, eliciting laughs from the American as well as the audience.

“I would say absolutely nothing, I think, if I’m honest with you, in front of many witnesses… it’s the first and the last time that we [him and Taylor Fritz] play together,” Karen Khachanov said.

Getting back to serious business, the Russian dubbed his time at the Queen's Club as a "fun" week. He noted that grasscourt tournament provided players like him and Fritz a great opportunity to get used to the new surface ahead of the season's third Grand Slam — the Wimbledon Championships.

“No, I mean jokes aside, it’s been a fun week, not good in singles, but I think it was fun to play together and it’s good preparation for Wimbledon,” Khachanov added.

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"I really enjoyed it" - Karen Khachanov on his time at Queen's Club with partner Taylor Fritz

Karen Khachanov and Taylor Fritz in action at the Queen's Club.

Karen Khachanov, during his speech at the tropy presentation ceremony, thanked the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) for organizing the event. The runner-up said he had a great time during his first trip to the Queen’s Club.

“I would like to thank the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)... for taking care of us,” Karen Khacahnov said. “It’s been a pleasure for me, it’s my first time at the Queen’s Club and I really enjoyed it.”

Khachanov and Taylor Fritz scored the biggest upset of the week by taking out top seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 7-6(1), 7-6(3) in the quarterfinals.

The pair backed that win by taking out Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo in the semifinal, but could not repeat the heroics in the championship match.