Taylor Fritz Voices Concern After Wimbledon Rival’s Painful Exit: ‘His Body Is Not Right’

Taylor Fritz has been cruising through Wimbledon so far, but Sunday’s match threw some curveballs. After back-to-back wins over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Gabriel Diallo—without a day off thanks to Wimbledon’s strict curfew—the American returned for the third round. There, he beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a thrilling four-set battle, the only match that didn’t stretch to five sets! Going into Sunday, things looked bleak for Jordan Thompson, practically handing Fritz a pass to the next round. But what did Taylor have to say about it?

By the second set at 3-0, with Fritz leading, it was clear Thompson was struggling. He’d entered Wimbledon nursing a serious back injury that almost forced him out before it began. Then, a right thigh injury sealed his fate, adding to his back troubles and forcing him to withdraw. It’s good news for Fritz, who’s now in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the third time!

But talking about Thompson in his on-court interview, Fritz made it clear this wasn’t the way he wanted to advance. He said, “It’s obviously not the way that I want to go through. I was really excited to play Jordan today. I thought, you know, I was excited to play some good tennis. Yeah, it’s just sad. He’s obviously been battling; he’s been playing five-setters. He’s out playing a long doubles match yesterday, so he’s been battling out here, and I respected him for coming out. Obviously, his body is not right, so, you know, I feel bad for him, and I hope he gets better.” It’s been a rough couple of days for the Australian.

Thompson withdrew from his Queen’s Club opener two weeks ago with a back injury. The 31-year-old arrived at Wimbledon unsure how far he could go. Yet, with fierce determination, he fought through 14 punishing sets, beating injury and odds to reach the last 16. “I think anyone that knows me knows that, if we’re playing a game of marbles or cards or whatever, I’m competitive,” Thompson told reporters after his third-round victory. “I want to win no matter what. That certainly helps. I’m not anywhere near 100 percent, and I’m still fighting my a** off for every point.”

His journey wasn’t smooth—he rallied from two sets down to beat Vit Kopriva in round one, survived a five-set thriller against Benjamin Bonzi, and then took down Luciano Darderi in four to match his best Grand Slam showing. But that’s where his run ended, as the physical toll finally caught up.

Taylor, meanwhile, isn’t sweating the heavy workload! After already battling through 14 sets at SW19 and three grass-court warm-ups, Fritz pulled off something special in his last match. Despite a scare in the third-set tiebreak loss to Davidovich, he enjoyed a much quicker match this time. The American dream is definitely sparking at Wimbledon!

Taylor Fritz reveals surprising take on his health at Wimbledon

On Friday, the 27-year-old faced off against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a gripping match that tested every ounce of his stamina. Fritz took control early, winning the first two sets, though each took nearly two hours to complete. Davidovich’s slower serve and relentless defense pushed Fritz harder than his previous opponents. Still, Fritz powered through to a 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 victory—his first Wimbledon match this year that didn’t stretch to a fifth set.

After the win, Fritz shared an encouraging update on his physical health. “This is gonna sound crazy, but my body is actually feeling better after each match. I feel like somehow, it felt the worst in my first round, and it’s getting better,” he said. Considering he started the tournament battling tendinitis in his knee and other fitness issues, that’s pretty impressive.

Later, Fritz explained how the grind of the Grand Slam has surprisingly helped his body heal. “Yeah, the body. I mean, I think it was weird. The first day of my first match, my knee was kind of bugging me,” he said. “I’ve had tendinitis I’ve been dealing with. It’s kind of flared up the whole grasscourt season, I think just because you’re taking a lot of extra stutter steps and stuff. It’s a little tougher on it. I was feeling that a bit. It’s actually now gotten better. Is completely gone.” The only lingering battle scar is a bloody scrape on his elbow, reopened twice against Davidovich after a dive in the previous round.

Now Fritz is heading into the quarterfinals to face Karen Khachanov, marking the first time an American man has reached back-to-back Wimbledon quarterfinals since Sam Querrey in 2016 and 2017. The excitement is building—will Taylor Fritz push even further this time? Fans are buzzing, and you can join the conversation in the comments below. Stay tuned with EssentiallySports’ Live Blog for all the real-time action!