'24 Wimbledon Gentlemen's Draw & Discussion

[ponchi101]

He was a semi finalist here and recently made the finals at (was it?) Halle.
Somehow he gets it done.

[jazzyg]

On the Hurkacz skepticism above, he ALWAYS looks bad in the first round of slams, but his grass credentials are unquestionable. He has won a tournament on grass in addition to his semifinal Wimbledon run and he just lost to Sinner in the final of another grass event. He blew a massive opportunity to be up two sets on Djokovic at Wimbledon last year.

The issue with him is coming up with the goods when it really matters against an elite opponent. I will be very surprised, though, if he does not cruise into his quarterfinal matchup with Djokovic.

If history is a guide, his next match will be 3, 3 and 3.

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[shmrck14]

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[ponchi101]

C'mon. Are we still believing that the draw is rigged? Because, you know, Jannik and Carlitos ended in the same side of the draw.
Not the AELTC's fault that Berrettini has fallen so much down the ranking.

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Gaspar Ribeiro Lança
@gasparlanca
Fritz on Rinderknech’s comments: “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.”

I mean… it was pretty obvious that Fritz would be getting an extra dose of motivation from Rinderknech’s quote. I don’t know what was he thinking but that was just a terrible idea.

More from Fritz: “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.”

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Oh

Arthur Rinderknech accuses Taylor Fritz of ‘crying’ and being ‘whiny’ ahead of their Wimbledon third round
Liam Llewellyn
Thu 4 July 2024 11:00, UK

Taylor Fritz was criticised by his next Wimbledon opponent Arthur Rinderknech.

The 26-year-old reached the second round at the All-England Club after defeating Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in round one.

He dropped just seven games on the way to recording his second successive victory over the unseeded player.

Fritz has now booked a clash with a player he defeated in an infamous clash back at the 2023 French Open.

At Wimbledon Fritz will take to court 12 on Thursday to face Rinderknech, which will be their first meeting after facing one another at Roland Garros a year ago.

It was a heated clash that saw the American enter the bad books of the French fans who were supporting their hometown player.

Despite facing the wrath of a passionate crowd Fritz claimed victory that day but ahead of their second clash, Rinderknech did not hold back on his assessment of the 12th seed.

“He won’t cry as much. He whined a bit saying it was too noisy,” the 28-year-old said. “I hold no grudge against him but he was wrong if he thought the crowd would send him kisses in between points.”

The players competed against one another for the first time at Roland Garros 2023 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

In a contentious battle, the vast majority of spectators were rooting for their fellow Frenchman and he made a great start to the match.

He claimed the first set, before Fritz stormed back to take a 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-4 victory. The crowd were already upset to see their countryman lose, but their sadness soon turned to anger.

Fritz began to shush the crowd after sealing the win, which prompted thunderous boos and jeers from those in attendance. They were still letting Fritz know what they thought of him during his on-court interview.

“The crowd was so just so great, that I had to let it fire me up. They cheered so well for me, I wanted to make sure I won. Thanks guys,” he said following the two-hour and 50 minute contest. This time Fritz will face Rinderknech in a neutral venue of Wimbledon.

https://www.thetennisgazette.com/news/a ... ird-round/

[ponchi101]

I remember the RG match. The French at their worst, and Fritz was right that day.

[ponchi101]

Alright. So, are we going to start having some Brad Gilbert/David Wheaton rivalries in the ATP from now on?
You know, rodeo clowns and stuff?