This is Fritz’s seventh appearance at Roland Garros. His match with the last Frenchman standing lasted two hours and 50 minutes. He will next go up against Francisco Cerundolo who took down Yannick Hanfmann 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
After his win against Rinderknech, he placed a finger to his mouth to silence the boisterous crowds who were grieving their compatriot’s loss.
“The crowd was 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,” he said sarcastically after his win.
He was clearly irritated during the match as the fans sang the French National Anthem in a bid to support Fritz’s opponent. The umpire called for quiet but those pleas fell on deaf ears.
At the end of the match, Fritz performed an exaggerated bow to the crowd. Rinderknech drew a heart on the clay court.
Having the last French player in the draw exit this year shines a light on the poor situation of French tennis. There were 28 players in the draw and none of them made it to the third round.
“I did my best,” said Rinderknech. He also added that he was aware of the gravity of the loss and what it means that no French player made it to the third round.