Mardy Fish reacts after seeing what Taylor Fritz did at the net following his Wimbledon win over Arthur Rinderknech

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Taylor Fritz would have had a lot on his mind heading into his second round match against Arthur Rinderknech at Wimbledon.

The pair were involved in a heated encounter in June last year in the second round of the French Open in Paris.

There, Fritz played the role of the villain as he beat the Frenchman, shushing the crowd immediately after the win.

Rinderknech then added fuel to the fire ahead of their Wimbledon clash, not holding back on his comments about their previous meeting.

“The atmosphere will be quieter [than at 2023 French Open] and he won’t cry as much,” said Rinderknech. “He whined a bit saying it was too noisy. I hold no grudge against him but he was wrong if he thought the crowd would send him kisses in between points.”

Mardy Fish reacts to Taylor Fritz and Arthur Rinderknech Wimbledon

The intense rivalry has now taken a further twist after their clash at SW19, which Fritz won 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

Footage has emerged on X of the American firing back at his opponent immediately after the match, with Fritz saying ‘Have a nice flight home’ when they met at the net.

The comment has delighted former tennis player Mardy Fish, with the American writing on X: “I’ve never been more proud’, followed by an American flag emoji.

Further footage of their on-court conversation emerged on X, with Fritz leaving Rinderknech confused when saying: ‘You know what you did’.

The Frenchman replied: ‘I know what I did?’ with Fritz repeating himself: ‘Yeah, you know what you did’.

Nick Kyrgios names Taylor Fritz as a Wimbledon dark horse

Fritz headed into Wimbledon in the best shape possible, clinching success at the Rothesay International championship in Eastbourne.

The top seed overcame Australian Max Purcell 6-4, 6-3 on the grass, becoming the first three-time winner in the event’s history.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Wimbledon 2024 from how to watch to dates

2004 Olympics silver medallist Fish is clearly keeping close tabs on his compatriot in the iconic competition, having been delighted by his latest antics.

But he isn’t the only one monitoring the American, with the injured Nick Kyrgios backing Fritz as a dark horse to go on and lift the prestigious trophy.

After his feisty Rinderknech clash and his win over Australian Christopher O’Connell in round one, the 26-year-old now faces Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in round three.