The French Open hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Taylor Fritz. Predominantly a hard-court player, Fritz has often struggled on clay, and his struggles were quite evident in this edition of Roland Garros. In what was the upset of the tournament, the fourth seed, Fritz, lost in the opening round against Daniel Altmaier of Germany. Despite showing glimpses of a comeback and leveling the match at one set all, Fritz lost the next two sets to bow out of the tournament. Subsequently, he apologized to his fans for not living up to their expectations and received a surprising comment from his compatriot, Reilly Opelka.

Sharing a couple of glimpses of his match against Altmaier, Fritz, on his official Instagram handle, wrote, “Not gonna lie—this one hurts. I came into Roland Garros with high expectations but I didn’t deliver it. Losing early is brutal, but it’s part of the game. All I can do is use this extra time to work and get back to the level that I know I should be at.” The reigning US Open finalist was clearly unhappy with his performance and hoped to come back stronger in the grass court season.

However, Fritz received no sympathy from his colleague, Opelka, who shared a sarcastic comment on Opelka’s post. He wrote, “Thanks for not lying.” Opelka tried to lighten the mood and back his close friend Fritz in this tough period. Meanwhile, it is no secret that the two share a very good relationship and are close friends. They have known each other since childhood and used to play in the tournaments together on the junior level.

Even as the two share a good bond, they had a contrasting opinion when it came to a major change at this year’s US Open. As a result, a debate ensued between Opelka and Fritz.

When Opelka and Taylor Fritz clashed over the new US Open rule

Earlier this year, the US Open revamped the mixed doubles format at the tournament, starting this year. The event will be played a week earlier than the start of the singles tournament and will feature 16 teams, eight comprising wildcards and eight based on the highest-ranked singles pairs. Both Opelka and Fritz had varied opinions on this matter.

While Fritz openly backed the new format and reaffirmed his participation in the same, Opelka hit back at his compatriot. He said, “Disrespectful towards doubles specialists… let’s cancel this guy @taylor_fritz.” However, later, Opelka clarified that he was just being sarcastic and didn’t support the doubles format. He further added, “I was being sarcastic; they should 100% get rid of dubs. It’s for failed singles players; there’s no such thing as a “doubles specialist.” They don’t sell a single ticket, they take up practice courts/physios/resources, they don’t turn a profit and they complain that they don’t make enough $$. That’s pretty greedy behavior if you ask me.”

With Fritz’s French Open campaign coming to a sudden end, he would look to make amends in the upcoming grass-court season. Can the American star come back strongly after the French Open heartbreak? Let us know your views in the comments below.