Taylor Fritz had a laugh at his own expense recently as he opened up about one of the more humiliating, yet hilarious, moments of his career, all thanks to compatriot Frances Tiafoe.
In a promotional video ahead of the 2025 BOSS Open in Stuttgart, the second seed shared how Tiafoe caught him off guard in a cafeteria during the Rome tournament, pantsing him in front of a crowd while he was holding a tray of food.
Taylor Fritz Is Coming off a First Round Loss to Daniel Altmaier at the French Open
As Fritz prepares to launch his grass-court season in Stuttgart following an early exit from Roland Garros, he shared the candid story with a light-hearted chuckle. The World No. 7 recalled how Tiafoe unexpectedly “pantsed” him, yanking down his shorts while he was carrying a tray of food at the Italian Open.
“I think this story’s been told before, but I was in the cafeteria in Rome with Frances, and I had my tray of food,” Fritz explained with a grin. “I was wearing the old Nike shorts that were two-in-one, so there’s an underwear built into the pants, and Frances just come behind me and pantses me. So I was just full naked for a second. And I’ve tried to pants him back so many times, but I just can’t, it’s tough to get him.”
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Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time the “pantsing” saga between Fritz and Tiafoe had played out in public. Fans might recall a similar moment during the 2022 United Cup, when Tiafoe attempted to sneak up and pull down Fritz’s shorts during a live post-match interview.
The attempted prank drew laughter from teammates and even the interviewer, who jokingly asked Fritz if he could take Tiafoe in a fight. Fritz, with a grin, replied that the skirmish would be a close one.
“Dude, I will knock you out.” @Taylor_Fritz97 @FTiafoe 🤣#UnitedCup pic.twitter.com/tcHAgU0Zvp
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) December 30, 2022
Now in Stuttgart as the second seed, Fritz is looking to shake off his early Roland Garros exit with a strong showing on grass. He awaits the winner of Quentin Halys and Lorenzo Sonego in the second round and is also teaming up with Jiri Lehecka in the doubles draw, where they’ll face Albano Olivetti and Hendrik Jebens.
Fritz Breaks Silence on French Open Disappointment
In his post-match press conference in Paris, Fritz reflected on his first-round loss to Altmaier. Battling an abdominal injury since February and a rolled ankle from Geneva, he admitted he underestimated the ankle issue and didn’t feel great on court, but maintained it wasn’t the reason for his defeat.
“I misjudged for sure earlier in the week the level my ankle was at. I rolled it. I rolled it in Geneva. Because it felt good for the rest of the match, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but it doesn’t feel great. But it’s definitely not the reason why I lost today,” he said.