Taylor Fritz pulled off an impressive upset at Wimbledon on Monday, defeating Alexander Zverev in five sets on Centre Court 4-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-3.
Not only did Fritz, the No. 13 seed defeat No. 4 Zverev on Centre Court, but he did so after losing the first two sets of the match.
After winning the fourth set on a tiebreak, Fritz seemed to carry all the momentum into the decisive fifth set while Zverev appeared to be spent.
In the post-match interview, Fritz admitted that he wasn’t discouraged about falling behind by two sets because he knew he was playing good tennis.
“The thing was I still felt I was playing really well for being down two sets,” Fritz said. “I was just thinking it sucked to be playing this well and to lose in straights. So let’s take the third, I took it one at a time. I had that belief. It was just a couple of point here and there.”
Those who have followed Fritz noted that he often looks up to his player box, seeking help and guidance from his coach. But he didn’t do so against Zverev, apparently feeling confident that he had control of the match. Meanwhile, Zverev let his frustration show, complaining to the referee as an outlet and shaking his head during a break.
An apparent knee injury may have contributed to Zverev wearing down. He wore a sleeve on his left knee after injuring it in a fall during his third round match versus Cameron Norrie on Saturday.
Fritz said that Zverev’s knee was part of their conversation at the net after the match.
“With his knee in the fifth set, it felt like he wasn’t moving as well,” he said. “So I wished him the best.”
Fritz advances to the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event for the fourth time in his career, having previously done so at the Australian Open earlier this year, last year’s U.S. Open and two years ago at Wimbledon (losing to Rafael Nadal). He will face Lorenzo Musetti (No. 25) of Italy on Wednesday. Zverev has never made it to the quarterfinals at the All England Club.
Two American players are now in the Wimbledon men’s quarterfinals for the first time since 2000. Fritz joins No. 12 seed Tommy Paul, who defeated Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik on Friday.
