‘Getting Ripped for Making a Joke’ – Taylor Fritz Hits Back at Reporter for Twisting His Words on Novak Djokovic’s US Open Controversy

Novak Djokovic has been through turbulent times this year. Earlier this season, he was embroiled in controversy in Australia over his visa exemption. Subsequently, he missed the Australian Open due to his deportation from Australia.

After a forgettable time in Australia, Djokovic lost his form and had some early exits at the tournaments. However, he came back strongly to win the Italian Open crown. Further, he lifted his 21st Grand Slam title, defeating Nick Kyrgios in the summit clash to win the Wimbledon Championships.

The Serb hasn’t played since his title-winning run in Great Britain. As a result of his vaccination status, he was not allowed to play in Canada. Moreover, he faces uncertainty about his US Open participation. Recently, American tennis star, Taylor Fritz clarified his comments regarding Djokovic.

Taylor Fritz slams the media for misinterpreting his comments on Novak Djokovic

During the post-match press conference at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, an interviewer asked Fritz to comment about Djokovic’s US Open controversy. However, Fritz claimed that his comments were misinterpreted by the media.

Subsequently, Fritz took to Twitter to clarify his statement about Djokovic. He said, “Nothing new just me getting ripped for making a joke about Novak being better than everyone, the issue with press transcripts is it’s just raw text and it’s not clear the manner in how things are said, what I jokingly said felt like a compliment to Novak more than anything else.” 

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Novak Djokovic has already missed two ATP 1000 tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati. Further, he also faces a risk of missing the last Grand Slam tournament of the season. The Serb was a runner-up in the previous edition of the tournament. He will have to defend 1200 ranking points this year at the US Open. If Djokovic fails to participate in the Grand Slam tournament in Flushing Meadows, he’ll face a major blow to his ATP ranking.

Fritz advances in Cincinnati

Recently, the 24-year-old American had a commanding win over Nick Kyrgios in the second round of the Western and Southern Open. In a match lasting just short of an hour, Fritz defeated Kyrgios in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.

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Fritz will next face Andrey Rublev for a place in the Cincinnati quarter-finals.