The French crowd was out in full force for the two-hour and fifty-minute French Open second-round match on Thursday evening between American Taylor Fritz, the No. 9 seed, and French tennis player Arthur Rinderknech, ranked 78th in the world.
Rinderknech jumped out to a one-set lead winding the crowd up even more.
Fritz gradually found his groove, worked his way into the match, and won it in four sets.
The crowd remained a fixture that he had to overlook, that is, until he won the final point of the match when he let his frustration out.
What Fritz Did
He put his finger to his lips in a futile effort to silence the crowd that only got them more heated up.
In the post-match press conference, the boos were so loud that Fritz could not hear the question.
That shortened the press conference to a brief sarcastic statement by Fritz that he had to win because he felt so much crowd support.
The Crazy French Crowd
The French fans were exercising their home-field advantage and helping their man Rinderknech.
It was clear that efforts by the umpire to quiet the crowd were not overly successful either.
Perhaps it is the same type of home-field advantage Fritz feels at the U.S. Open.
Fritz did not act bothered by it while he was playing; he kept it inside and channeled it into his game.
Letting it out afterward was a natural reaction that practically anyone in his position would have done in one way or another.
Fritz Has A Tough Third Round Opponent
Whether the French crowd ends up on his side in his next match remains to be seen, but what is clear is that Fritz’s opponent is a huge challenge.
Francisco Cerundolo is an Argentinian player with what Jim Courier called a “monster forehand” that Fritz will be dealing with.
Courier hinted that despite Cerundolo’s ranking as 23rd, he could be considered a favorite over the 9th-ranked Fritz.
Watch Fritz take on Cerundolo on Saturday, June 3; television coverage is on NBC, Peacock (streaming), and Tennis Channel.
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