"It sucks; I wish there could’ve been points, but if certain players aren’t going to be allowed to play, then I don’t think it’s fair that there’s points" - Taylor Fritz on Wimbledon's lack of ranking points
Taylor Fritz is closing in on the Top 10 in the ATP rankings, more than halfway through a season that can already be termed his best on tour. However, he could have already been there had ranking points been given at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.
Fritz lamented the fact that he could not earn those points from his quarterfinal appearance. However, he made peace with it a long time ago as he felt it was fair to take away ranking points from the tournament that banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing.
During a recent interview with The Guardian, the World No. 13 spoke about Wimbledon and how he wished the tournament had the strongest possible field and, of course, the ranking points.
"If I had gotten the points from Wimbledon, I’d be top 10 right now," Fritz said. "It’d be huge for me but, bias aside, I have to say it sucks. I wish we all could have played. I wish there could’ve been points, but if certain players aren’t going to be allowed to play, then I don’t think it’s fair that there’s points."
would be a crime against humanity if Taylor Fritz doesn't make the year-end championship
playing at a top-5 level and if not for injuries and ATP banning ranking points at Wimbledon, the race would reflect that
The tennis world has been divided over the controversy surrounding this year's Wimbledon and Fritz is clearly in support of the ATP and WTA stripping the tournament of its ranking points. The American believes that Russian and Belarusian players should have been allowed to compete without their respective national representation.
"I think it was fair that we took points away. I think it was unfair that those players weren’t able to just play representing no flag. [Russia’s invasion of Ukraine] has nothing to do with them. They shouldn’t have been banned from the tournament, but after that happens and you have all these players that don’t get the chance like everybody else does to compete for points, it wouldn’t be fair to collect points," Fritz opined.
Fritz has won two titles this year, including a maiden Masters 1000 title at the Indian Wells Open. He entered Wimbledon as the World No. 14 and produced his career-best result there by reaching the last-eight stage, which was a much stronger result as compared to his third-round exit at last year's edition.
Fritz came ever so close to reaching the semifinals at SW19, losing a five-set epic to Rafael Nadal.
"That one hurt because I wanted it so bad" - Taylor Fritz on his Wimbledon QF loss to Rafael Nadal
In his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Rafael Nadal, Taylor Fritz had the 22-time Grand Slam champion on the ropes, although the Spaniard was suffering from an abdominal injury.
Fritz played some of his best tennis of the season and held a two-sets-to-one lead before eventually losing in a match tie-break in the deciding set. Losing such a close match hurt Fritz as he believed he had it in his grasp.
"I’m motivated to keep having results and keep putting myself in those types of situations where I can play those matches. That one hurt because I wanted it so bad. I felt like I put in all the work, I felt like I deserved it. I really felt like I was going to win the match the entire time until the very end," Taylor Fritz said.
Fritz returned to action at last week's Citi Open, where he lost to Dan Evans in the Round of 16. The American No. 1 player will now aim to translate his form from the hardcourt swing at the start of the season into the US Open swing. His next assignment is this week's Canadian Open, where he opens his campaign against former World No. 1 Andy Murray on Tuesday.
The 2022 @OBNmontreal is lookin' gooood 🍿
Which match are you most excited for? https://t.co/zUBDcjPXsJ