American Taylor Fritz Frustrated With Decision To Suspend Wimbledon Match

Fritz argued to continue the match, but officials made the decision to suspend it until tomorrow

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American Taylor Fritz found himself in a perilous position during his first round match at Wimbledon against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. Fritz, the fifth-ranked player in the tournament, dropped the first two sets against his unranked opponent. 

However, Fritz fought back to win the third set and survived a fourth-set tiebreak – where he trailed 1-5 before coming back to win five straight points and ultimately the set – to push the match into a deciding fifth set. 

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That brought a new problem into play, though, and that's the 11 p.m. curfew at the All England Club. Wimbledon does not allow matches to go past that point and the contest saw the fourth set finish around 10:20 p.m. 

The first round Wimbledon match between American Taylor Fritz and Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was suspended due to an impending curfew at the All England Club.

The first round Wimbledon match between American Taylor Fritz and Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard was suspended due to an impending curfew at the All England Club.

(Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

So, the officials came out to ask the players: do you want to start the fifth set with a chance that they will have to stop mid-set, or do you want to suspend the match immediately and play the entire fifth set on Tuesday? 

Fritz, who had all the momentum at that point, clearly wanted to continue the match. Mpetshi Perricard, who had just coughed up a 5-1 lead in the tiebreak and appeared to tweak his lower leg late in the fourth set, obviously did not. 

Because the players seemingly couldn't agree, officials made the decision to suspend the match immediately and asked both players to return for the fifth set the following day. That decision riled up Taylor Fritz – and the crowd, which rained down boos during the suspension announcement – since 40 minutes is potentially enough time to play an entire set. 

Fritz was seen on camera saying to the official something to the effect of, "Why don't we stop when we have to stop?" The official says something to Fritz, who fires back, "OK, then don't ask me [what I want to do]." 

Social media agreed with Fritz and criticized officials for making the decision to suspend the match without even trying to finish in the allotted time. 

Ultimately, Fritz and tennis fans don't have any say. The match continues tomorrow and Fritz needs to get his focus on that final set. Losing in the first round would be disastrous for one of the best tennis players in the world. It would also be crushing to the hopes that an American player could win Wimbledon for the first time since Pete Sampras in 2000. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.