Andy Roddick was brutally honest about Taylor Fritz’s Wimbledon loss to Lorenzo Musetti.
After battling to the quarter-finals following a comeback victory against Alexander Zverev, the 26-year-old had a great opportunity to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final.
Once again he played a five-setter, but was unable to come out on the winning side as the Italian outlasted Fritz 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 in three hours and 27 minutes.
He has become just the fourth male Italian player to reach the last four at Wimbledon and will face Novak Djokovic on Friday.
What did Andy Roddick say about Taylor Fritz after his Wimbledon defeat?
In a back-and-forth match, Fritz took the lead against Musetti but the 22-year-old battled back and clinched the second set on a tiebreak.
The 25th seed then produced a superb display in third set to lead the match, but Fritz hit back to take the fourth set, but was outplayed by Musetti in the decider who stormed to victory.
Analysing the match, Roddick did not hold back and expressed how big an opportunity this was for Fritz to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals, which he failed to capitalise on.
“Musetti was masterful with the slice today. He never let Taylor Fritz get set for more than two balls in a row, was mixing up height and he just never let Fritz get to his comfortable spot,” Roddick said on his ‘Served’ Podcast.
“He turned the match into an ugly one with Taylor Fritz which is what he needed to do. I felt like Fritz knew he was the overwhelming favourite and you could feel that tension the entire time.
“I have to imagine and I’m sure Taylor would tell you, this is probably as disappointing a loss as opportunity squandered that Fritz has had in his career.”
Where will Taylor Fritz play next after Wimbledon exit?
Though equalling his best result at Wimbledon by reaching the quarter-finals, Fritz was disappointed to lose to Musetti with a semi-final spot on the line.
This was his second loss to this opponent after the Italian got the better of him on the clay at the Monte Carlo Masters in April.
Fritz will now focus on clay once again as he prepares to travel to Paris to compete in the Olympics for the first time.
He is part of a men’s USA team also featuring Tommy Paul, Chris Eubanks, Marcos Giron, Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.
“I always loved team sports and I’ve always loved to represent Team USA in Davis Cup and the United Cup, so this is the ultimate,” Fritz told PEOPLE. “I’m just looking forward to the whole experience and being around so many incredible athletes.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
