World No. 7 Taylor Fritz‘s Wimbledon campaign came to a disappointing end in the quarterfinals earlier today. He suffered a 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 defeat against French Open champion Alexander Zverev, who clinched his first victory over the American since 2024. Because the win was so straightforward, many wondered whether the knee problem he encountered early in the second set made things easier for Zverev. But Fritz played down all such assumptions.

Instead, Fritz hailed Zverev’s performance. “He’s gonna be extremely tough to beat the way he’s serving,” he said during the post-match press conference, before admitting that it was not the kind of day he had in mind.

“He was very aggressive with his forehand and his backhand as well. Very aggressive. Hit the ball great. He played really well. It wasn’t the match I was expecting, I would say. I would’ve liked to feel 100% and try to give him a match, but… Yeah, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know why I felt like that today.”

After losing the first set on the back of a single break, Fritz’s chances of levelling the match took a major blow when he was trailing 2-1 in the second. It was here that he had to take a medical timeout to get his knee treated. It was clear that he wasn’t fully fit, and Zverev took the match away from the American’s reach.

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Another single break of serve was enough for Zverev to win the second set. He then secured a double break over Fritz in the third, while the American failed to convert any of his break points throughout the match. Zverev wrapped up the contest in an hour and 59 minutes to secure his first Wimbledon semifinal berth as he chases back-to-back Grand Slam titles after emerging victorious at Roland Garros last month for his first-ever Major. To get there, though, Zverev will have to lock horns with local hero Arthur Fery — a wildcard entry who has taken the tournament by storm — in the last four.

On the other hand, the repetitive pattern continues for Fritz. Many considered him the favorite to defeat Zverev because of his 10-5 lead in their head-to-head record. But injuries got in his way yet again. The World No. 7 has been dealing with such problems since the first half of the 2025 season, and he still hasn’t fully recovered.

Taylor Fritz has been dealing with knee tendinitis for more than a year now

Fritz’s knee problems had taken a major toll on him during the 2025 ATP Finals. He had even admitted that his knee was “completely cooked” following a 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 defeat to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the group stage. It was here that Fritz had also revealed that he had been dealing with knee tendinitis for most of the season.

Though the 28-year-old returned to action at the Australian Open and remained active over the next few months, things took a turn after the Miami Open. Fritz didn’t play any matches for nearly two months and almost skipped the clay swing entirely because of persistent knee problems.

Despite not being fully fit, Fritz returned to action at the Geneva Open in May. But he was eliminated in the first round by Alexei Popyrin. The American then suffered a monumental upset at Roland Garros, losing 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-1 to Nishesh Basavareddy in the first round.

As a result, Fritz finished the clay-court season without a singles win. But he managed to rediscover his form as soon as the grass swing began. The World No. 8 reached the finals of both the Stuttgart Open and the Terra Wortmann Open. Though he had begun the swing on a high note, he wasn’t able to finish it in the same manner.

It now remains to be seen whether Fritz will have to spend even more time on the sidelines, with the hard-court season right around the corner.