Taylor Fritz Wimbledon longshot draws fierce interest from bold punters

Wimbledon
Taylor Fritz on the run

Big-serving American No 1 Taylor Fritz has been attracting some interest in sports betting markets given the generous odds of him winning Wimbledon.

While it hasn’t been an absolute flood, there have been enough cheeky punts on Fritz to see the American winning Wimbledon being featured as a popular bet across multiple sites.

Fritz has never been beyond the last eight at a Grand Slam but his game appears well-suited to grass and with odds as long as 50/1 in places, plenty are willing to back him as a long shot.

The top-ranked American has crept into the top five of the rankings and has won at ATP 1000 level, beating Rafael Nadal in the 2022 Indian Wells final to demonstrate his big-match credentials.

Fritz used to be coached by his father but he quickly realised that the dynamic was not good for their relationship.

“Growing up, with him coaching me,” said Taylor Fritz according to the Desert Sun.

“I feel like it definitely wasn’t good for our relationship. Just the player to coach type dynamic.

“We were both very stubborn,” Taylor Fritz said. “I would talk back. He’d keep me on the court, some days, really long. It definitely did create a lot of friction between us. He pushed me hard, but I know he did it because he knew that — now, where I’m at — I’d be really thankful for all of it.”

Despite dropping his father Guy as coach when he turned professional, Fritz admitted that his success as a top player would not have been possible were it not for the foundation they built.

“I’d say, over the next couple of years, after having the success, I could appreciate that the only reason I’ve had the success I’ve had is because he sometimes had to be the bad guy,” Taylor Fritz said.

“He made me work. I had to get to that point where I understood what we were working toward.”

Fritz said that he savours the Indian Wells victory as he saw how genuinely happy it made his father.

“Anyone that knows me and my dad knows that he’s a very tough person to get a compliment out of,” Taylor Fritz said. “To genuinely see him happy, it was super emotional.

“It just comes full circle. Everything that we worked toward and all the time we spent practicing and arguing on the court, it was all for that.”

Fritz is notoriously hard on himself as anyone who has seen him at a press conference after a loss can atest to and there is a good reason that plenty of people are backing him to be the first American man in 20 years to win a Grand Slam.

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