Taylor Fritz has finally broken through at Wimbledon, defeating Karen Khachanov in four sets to reach his first semi-final at the All England Club.
The American number one secured a 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) victory after overcoming a dramatic mid-match collapse.
Fritz had previously fallen at the quarterfinal stage twice before, losing five-set thrillers in both 2022 and 2024.
His 2022 defeat to Rafael Nadal was particularly painful, with the Spaniard winning in a final set tie-break despite carrying an injury that later forced his withdrawal from the semifinals.
Taylor Fritz told Morgan Riddle that his private message should never have gone public
Reuters
The 27-year-old admitted he couldn't have endured another quarterfinal heartbreak.
During his post-match interview, Fritz gently rebuked his girlfriend Morgan Riddle for publicly sharing a private note he had written after a disappointing 2021 defeat.
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The note, which contained harsh self-criticism, was posted on Riddle's social media earlier in the tournament to highlight Fritz's progress.
"That note was never supposed to be public," Fritz said during his on-court interview.
He explained that he had been "ranting" to his girlfriend about his performance when she suggested he write down his thoughts.
The revelation came after Fritz was questioned about the controversial social media post during his victory celebration.
The note, written after Fritz's third-round loss to Alexander Zverev in 2021, contained expletive-laden self-criticism.
It read: "Nobody in the whole world is underachieving harder than you, you are so f****** good, but 40 in the world get your f****** s*** together."
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Morgan Riddle has been supporting Taylor Fritz throughout Wimbledon
Reuters
Riddle had posted the message on Instagram with the caption: "A note Taylor wrote himself on the bus at Wimbledon on my phone after he lost and dropped out of the top 40 hahahaha."
Fritz explained the context behind the outburst, saying he felt his ranking was slipping following surgery and wasn't performing at the level he believed he should reach.
Fritz reflected positively on his career transformation over the past four years, expressing satisfaction with the results of his hard work.
"I'm really happy at how I've turned my career around over the last four years. I've put in a lot of work and it's good to see the results," he said.
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Taylor Fritz has suffered injuries earlier in his career but is now one of the top-seeded players in the world
Reuters
The American acknowledged the dramatic shift in momentum during his match against Khachanov, describing how quickly the contest changed after dominating the first two sets.
"I've never had a match flip so quickly," Fritz commented, noting he had to fight to regain control in the fourth set.
Fritz will face either Carlos Alcaraz or Cameron Norrie in Friday's semifinal.
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