"That was never supposed to be public" - Taylor Fritz blames girlfriend Morgan Riddle playfully for making his Wimbledon 'rant' go viral

Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle
Taylor Fritz and Morgan Riddle; All sources - Getty

Taylor Fritz admitted that the self-critical note he wrote after losing to German Alexander Zverev in the third round of the 2021 Wimbledon wasn't meant to take rounds on the internet, playfully blaming his girlfriend, Morgan Riddle, for the deed. Notably, he has reached the semifinals of Wimbledon for the first time in 2025.

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Taylor Fritz had poor luck at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters and Madrid Open, losing in straight sets and dropping out of the top 30, the first time that no American men's players were in the top 30 for nearly 50 years. His following stint at the US Open started off strong, defeating João Sousa in consecutive sets. However, he faced a setback in the second round, suffering a meniscus tear and immediately undergoing surgery.

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Taylor Fritz had hoped to return to Wimbledon healthy, but Taylor Fritz lost to Alexander Zverev in the third round despite early dominance. The heartbreak lowered the American's ranking and prompted him to pen a self-critical note, which was then posted by his girlfriend, Morgan Riddle.

Cut to 2025 Wimbledon, Fritz took a trip down memory lane and admitted that the note was not supposed to go online. It was just him venting to his girlfriend, who then suggested that he write his feelings down.

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"At the time, I feel like my ranking was slipping, I was going back from a surgery and I just felt like I was not playing to the level I felt like I should. That note was never supposed to be public, I was ranting to my girlfriend about it and she said to write it down. I'm really happy with I've turned my career around in last four years."
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Now ranked No. 5 in the ATP rankings, Fritz defeated Russian Karen Khachanov to reach his first semifinals at SW19.

Taylor Fritz once expressed what a No. 5 breakthrough meant for him

Fritz at the 2024 United Cup - Perth: Previews - (Source: Getty)
Fritz at the 2024 United Cup - Perth: Previews - (Source: Getty)

Taylor Fritz had career breakthrough in 2023, when his title win at the Delray Beach Open catapulted him to World No. 5, the first US player to be ranked so since Andy Roddick in 2009. Fritz experienced a successful season in 2024, reaching the Wimbledon and Australian Open quarterfinals and the US Open finals. Continuing his momentum, he also had a final appearance at the year-end ATP Finals.

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In February this year, the 27-year-old expressed that his No. 5 rank made him believe that he has potential.

"There’s all these other guys I’m ranked higher than that are such good players. I earned my spot…I definitely feel like I do belong."

He then talked about his desire to win the Grand Slam since a major title was last won by Andy Roddick in 2003.

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"I mean, we all wanna be that guy. I’m always looking for ways that I can improve my game, always analyzing matches that I lose, trying to figure out what things I realistically can be better at and I keep working hard and once I kind of do something and set, I guess, a new best for myself, I find it much easier to replicate and do it again…What I feel pressure-wise is what I’m putting on myself because I have very high expectations."

Taylor Fritz, a long-time partner of BOSS, made waves at this year's BOSS Open, clinching the title with a win over Alexander Zverev.

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Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder
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