American tennis superstar Taylor Fritz has admitted that his comment made at Wimbledon about girlfriend Morgan Riddle was 'not the best choice of words'.
On Tuesday afternoon, Fritz took on Russian Karen Khachanov in a Wimbledon quarter-final clash on Court One.
The American had to dig deep but did come out on top by winning 6-3, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-4) in four sets.
As a result, the number five seed will now take on two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who easily brushed Britain's Cameron Norrie aside on Centre Court, winning 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.
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Speaking after the victory against Khachanov, Fritz paid tribute to his influencer girlfriend Riddle, whom he has been dating since 2020.
When asked about Riddle's importance in his career, the American explained: "Yeah, I mean, there's been a pretty constant, I guess, results and ranking rise since we've been together.
"I think I would have to say she's been a big help to me just kind of keeping me focused, having someone who cares and just pushes you to just do better and do the right things, be healthier."
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He added: "Almost like kind of just mother me in a way with, like, the diet and going to sleep on time. But just having someone to push you in the right direction all the time, supporting you, it helps a lot.
"There's an obvious correlation between my results and ranking and the time we've been together."
After the 'mother me' comment drew laughter inside the press conference room, Fritz smiled and said: "Yeah, that maybe wasn't the best choice of words."
Reacting to his win, the 27-year-old continued: "It’s an amazing feeling. Having played the quarter-finals here twice and lost in five [sets] twice, I don’t think I could have taken another one. I’m really happy I’m going to get to play the semis here.
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"I’m feeling great to get through it. The match was going so well for me for two sets, I’ve never really had a match just flip so quickly, so I’m really happy how I came back in the fourth set and got it done. I think momentum was not going to be on my side in the fifth."
On the other side of the draw, the likes of Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton, Flavio Cobolli and Novak Djokovic will battle for the last two remaining semi-final places.
Where to buy last-minute Wimbledon tickets
The Wimbledon ballot may have closed for another year, but it’s not too late to buy advance tickets if you know where to look.
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If you don’t mind splashing out on the experience, Seat Unique has the option to book ‘VIP Debenture Behind The Server’ and ‘VIP Debenture Front 5 Rows’ tickets.
These tickets offer 'unparalleled views' of the court, so you won't miss out on any of the action.
As for resale tickets, you'll want to head over to StubHub and Viagogo.
Marcus Chan