French Open supporters have new villain as Taylor Fritz laughs off heavy booing
Taylor Fritz was booed as he walked onto the court for his third-round match at the French Open.
Taylor Fritz was booed as soon as he stepped onto Court Suzanne Lenglen for his third-round match. The American received arguably the worst reception of the tournament after beating Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech in the second round on the same court just two days ago. He shushed the French fans after beating the last home player left in the tournament and was booed so loudly he could barely conduct his post-match interview.
Fritz has found himself in the role of the villain at this year's French Open following the antics in his previous match. The ninth seed came from a set down to dispatch Rinderknetch on Thursday night and shushed the crowd as he won, earning a loud chorus of boos.
The American continued to take shots at the crowd in his on-court interview as he could barely speak through the noise, telling the fans: "The public was so great, they encouraged me so much that I absolutely wanted to win. I love you guys."
And it was the same story as he took to the same court on Saturday afternoon for his third-round encounter with Francisco Cerundolo. The Argentine was welcomed onto Court Suzanne Lenglen with the usual applause but it was immediate booing once Fritz's name was announced.
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The 25-year-old embraced the atmosphere as he could be seen laughing at the crowd's reaction while waving to the spectators. But they did ease off Fritz when he was announced for a second time by the emcee during the warm-up, as he received cheers with a few boos at the end.
Discussing the incident on Eurosport, Tim Henman admitted that it felt awkward to watch. "It’s a little uncomfortable, isn’t it?" the retired British pro said.
"I mean, the match hasn’t even started but he’s back out on the same court where he played the other night and having won the match was telling the crowd to be quiet. And they obviously haven’t forgotten."
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Alize Lim - the former world No 135 - tried to give a French perspective but couldn't believe that the crow was holding onto a grudge from two days ago. "I’m amazed to see this - not in a good way, of course. I think it’s sad for him," she said.
"I understand he was provoking them at the end of the match but what I find amazing is that it’s not the same people. You would think that it’s not the same people who bought tickets today but it seems like the same people who are just coming two days later.
"And honestly, if I was him, I’d just be crying right now but he seems to not care at all so maybe it’s going to give him some extra motivation, good for him." Fritz definitely wasn't bothered by the reception as he broke early on to take the lead over Cerundolo.