French Open 2023: Taylor Fritz ‘shushes’ crowd after beating home favourite Arthur Rinderknech

Taylor Fritz drew the ire of the French Open crowd after ‘shushing’ the boisterous night-time crowd following his victory over home favourite Arthur Rinderknech 2-6 6-4 6-3 6-4.

The American allowed his emotions to get the better of him at the conclusion of the match by placing his finger to his lips to the crowd.

“Well, you’ve got to be brave to do that and the French might not forget that,” said Eurosport commentator Barry Cowan.

Unsurprisingly, the reaction did not go down well as the jeers from the audience continued for many minutes, making the post-match interview extremely difficult.

Fritz had to ask the interviewer twice to repeat her question such was the noise in the stadium.

“The crowd was so just so great, that I had to let it fire me up. They cheered so well for me, I wanted to make sure I won. Thanks guys,” Fritz said as the jeers continued.

Usually, there are three or four questions asked but Fritz walked away after answering just one.

The crowd had been behind Rinderknech throughout the match, even singing the French national anthem in a desperate bid to push their last remaining hope into the fourth round.

However, Fritz proved too strong and it means that out of the 28 French players who started out in the tournament, none are remaining.

Fritz needed two hours and 50 minutes to seal his 31st tour-level win of the season and will meet Argentine Francisco Cerundolo in the next round.

“The crowd will certainly remember Taylor Fritz,” Cowan continued.

“Can he turn it around like [Daniil] Medvedev did in New York a couple of years ago?”

The Tunisian beat French player Dodin 6-2 6-3 on Court Philippe-Chatrier and although she can understand the home support for Dodin, felt the Paris crowd was “difficult” to play in front of.

“The French crowd is a bit difficult, I would say,” she said after the match. “I don’t like it when they boo, but that’s part of the game.

“They want French players to win. In the other countries, although I hit a good shot, they appreciate – not necessarily here. They prefer me to miss, but it’s part of the game.

“French spectators are passionate about tennis, and it’s a great pleasure to see that many people are watching. I also have French fans, so that’s also a great source of satisfaction.”

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