American tennis pro Taylor Fritz tells Wimbledon opponent to ‘have a nice flight home' after second-round win

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Taylor Fritz had a less-than-friendly send-off for Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech after their second round match at Wimbledon on Thursday. 

Fritz, the No. 13 seed, defeated Rinderknech 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 at the All England Club in what was a rematch of their previous meeting at the French Open in 2023. 

Taylor Fritz of the United States in action against Arthur Rinderknech of France in the Gentlemen's Singles second round match during day four of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 4, 2024, in London, England.  (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

During their post-match handshake, Fritz admitted to telling Rinderknech to "have a nice flight home." But as he explained, the comment wasn’t unprompted. 

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"I’m a very chill person. I don’t do anything that could rub people the wrong way, so when someone kind of just goes out of their way to take a shot at me, then I’m not just going to take it," he said, via The Associated Press. "It gave me the extra fire to win."

"When we shook hands, I just said, ‘Have a nice flight home.’" 

The "shot" Fritz was referring to seemed to reference a comment Rinderknech made before their match. 

Arthur Rinderknech of France in action against Taylor Fritz of the United States in the Gentlemen's Singles second round match during day four of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 4, 2024, in London, England.  (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

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According to Tennis.com, Rinderknech