Top 5 Quotes of 2024, No. 5: At Wimbledon, Taylor Fritz sends Arthur Rinderknech packing—in more ways than one

No. 5: Have a nice flight home.

Technology will change, technique will evolve, but one thing we hope never changes is the tennis player’s ability to deliver a devastating one-liner.

Such was the case when the typically soft-spoken Taylor Fritz brought down the verbal hammer on Arthur Rinderknech after a four-set Wimbledon victory, shadily wishing the Frenchman “a nice flight home.”

But that’s only where the story ended; we have to go back over a year to enjoy the full context of this hilarious read. Fritz and Rinderknech last faced off at 2023 Roland Garros, where Fritz drew the ire of the partisan crowd by putting a finger to his lips in a sarcastic effort to shush them.

It's tough not to when someone kind of goes out of their way to take a jab at you...As soon as I saw it, the match was basically over…Taylor Fritz

In previewing their Wimbledon encounter, Rinderknech referenced the incident with relief that, since “the atmosphere will be quieter [here], he won’t cry as much.

“He whined a bit saying it was too noisy. I hold no grudge against him, but he was wrong if he thought the French crowd would send him kisses in between points.”

Fritz responded with the kiss of death when they took to Court No. 12 for a 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, saving his most surprising winner for the handshake when capped his July 4th victory by bidding Rinderknech adieu.

“It's tough not to when someone kind of goes out of their way to take a jab at you,” Fritz later explained in press. “It's tough not to see it, because everyone is just going to tag me (on social media) and make sure I see it. As soon as I saw it, the match was basically over…

“It just gives me extra fire, obviously. I'm a very chill person. I don't do anything that could rub people the wrong way. When someone just goes out of their way to take a shot at me, then I'm not just going to take it. It gave me the extra fire to win.”

Fritz kept the fire burning through a spectacular 2024 season, reaching his first major final at the US Open and ending the season with a runner-up finish at the Nitto ATP Finals, earning a career-high ranking of No. 4.

No word on whether Rinderknech did, in fact, enjoy his flight home.