Taylor Fritz responded to fans who misunderstood his humorous comment about a post featuring him and Joao Fonseca following their match at the Lexus Eastbourne Open. On June 26, after darkness halted their game the previous day, Fritz prevailed over the Brazilian with a 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-5 victory, securing his place in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
After the match, Tennis TV shared several clips capturing highlights, prompting Fritz to leave a now-deleted comment jokingly suggesting the footage mainly showcased Fonseca’s points, reflecting the young player’s rising popularity. Later, he noted that his prediction appeared accurate after reviewing the clips.
“Commenting this before watching points… betting that this is 80% fonseca highlights, maybe 1/2 points of me winning,” he posted in the comments.
Some fans took offense, misinterpreting Fritz’s humor and expressing criticism on X (formerly Twitter). Responding to the backlash, Fritz called out the lack of humor among his followers.
“People are incapable of humor,” he replied.
He urged his fans to remain calm and not overreact to his joke.
“It’s crazy how people have 0 sense of humor and take everything so seriously, it was meant to be funny like pls chill,” he posted.
When a supporter defended him, Fritz explained his intention was only to entertain, not to offend.
“It’s not you, it’s the replies it’s crazzyy, I’m just trying to make people laugh”
Meanwhile, Fritz moved on to face fellow American Marcos Giron in the quarterfinals at Eastbourne and triumphed in a tight match, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, advancing to the semifinals.
Fritz Reaches His Fourth Semifinal at Eastbourne
Taylor Fritz ended Marcos Giron’s chance to reach his fourth semifinal in Eastbourne, avenging their recent loss at the Rome Masters earlier this year. The California-born player demonstrated resilience as he secured a hard-fought win to move deeper into the ATP 250 tournament.
Fritz is set to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the semifinal clash on Friday. Davidovich Fokina earned his spot by overpowering Jakub Mensik in his last match, showing strong form. Fritz is eager to regain momentum and aims to reinforce his dominance at Eastbourne, where he is pursuing a fourth title.