What separates a great player from a good one? The sheer will to do better until the goal is achieved. Seems like Taylor Fritz is a man with mettle and hope. He’s yet to win a slam. He nearly had it before losing to Jannik Sinner at the 2024 US Open. But the World No.5 never ceases to persevere. He’s still a long way from becoming the top dog, but he refuses to give up. And now, he’s making his presence felt at the All England Club on the grass. Every time he’s stepped into a Wimbledon campaign, he’s made sure to turn heads. Now, Fritz is fighting through cliffhanger battles. Even if it means weathering brutal injuries.

Fritz’s Wimbledon run this season has been anything but a cakewalk. In the first encounter, he had to go through 6’8″ Frenchman and speedster Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The latter even hit a 153 mph (246.23 km/h) serve, targeting Fritz’s body. But the latter returned it and eventually earned a crucial point on it before besting Perricard in a five-set thriller. He ousted him with a score line of 7-6(8), 6-7, 6-4, 7-6(0), 6-4. But the next matchup against Canadian Gabriel Diallo was even tougher. Another five-setter, on Wednesday, saw Fritz suffer a severe injury again on his way to victory.

Before he ousted Diallo with a score line of 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(0), 4-6, 6-3, he had to endure a ‘bloody’ ordeal. During the fourth set, Diallo made Fritz sprint from the left side to the right as the 27-year-old was trying to take a lead. Diallo’s shot made it certain that he was winning the point until the crowd witnessed a remarkable effort from the California native. Fritz dived to his right side, full stretched, and managed to send the ball over the net somehow. In doing so, he injured his elbow tearing through his t-shirt. Blood gushed from the wound due to which the play was briefly paused, so that he could receive first aid.

While Diallo still won this point despite his heroics, Taylor Fritz’s fighting spirit was still lauded. Even former American icon John McEnroe couldn’t resist himself. The 7-time slam champion showered praises on the 27-year-old from the commentary box. “What a great effort!” he shouted. “What a beautiful effort! You’ve got to love that, that is really sweet. Every shot he made, he was barely getting to it. That is so good to see,” as reported by Express.co.uk on July 2.

He further added, “Taylor, we love the effort. And man, with a little bit of luck, he might have pulled that off.” But guess what? McEnroe wasn’t the only one to admire Fritz’s sheer will to keep his Wimbledon dream alive.

Fans hail Taylor Fritz on his injury-laden Wimbledon win

One tennis lover wrote, “Blood, Sweat, and Fritz Yesterday, Taylor Fritz left actual blood on the court after a brutal dive. Torn shirt, busted elbow, five set war and he still won. He is back today: bruised, bandaged, and hunting revenge. Don’t blink.” The heroics against Diallo remind some of Fritz’s similar effort from two years ago.

Remember how the World No.5 battled an injury to keep his Paris Masters run going? In the opening round, back in October 2023, he bested Argentina’s Sebastian Baez 6-1, 6-4. During the match, however, he had to take a medical time out after complaining of pain on his side. He told the doctors that due to an illness, he was coughing a lot for a week due to which his abdominal injury aggravated. “It sounds crazy but when I get sick and I cough a lot, that spot there gets really inflamed and aggravated.” reported Tennis Channel two years ago.

Meanwhile, another fan appreciated Taylor Fritz saying, “he comes through another late night thriller to book his place in R3. Fritz has played more than any other player at @Wimbledon; a few times he has looked down and out but finds a way to fight! 💪 Great effort by Diallo too. 👏” According to ATP’s official website, Fritz has played 109 games already in two rounds at the All England Club this year most of which have been tiebreakers. It is the third most amount of games an ATP pro has played at the Wimbledon since the 2022 edition.

“This Fritz really does like a FIVE setter and is a REAL fighter. Bravo 👏🏻👏🏻”, wrote one individual. Echoing similar sentiments, another person mentioned, “Fritz showing a lot of fight to come through two 5 set matches. Respect 🫡” Lastly, one tennis lover was in complete awe of the American’s performance against Diallo, “I cant believe taylor fritz survived that.” In the third round, Taylor Fritz will go up against the winner of the battle between Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Botic van de Zandschulp. Having earned a spot in quarterfinals twice (2022, 2024), the American will look to stretch his Wimbledon run this time.

Do you think he can enter the semis and beyond? Let us know in the comments below and head over to our Live Blog for minute-by-minute coverage of the Championships.