Andy Murray’s return to Washington has been a rollercoaster so far. The 3 time Grand Slam champion was off to a great start at the Citi Open, with the crowd cheering him on loudly. The Scotsman looked in good touch when he played. However, fresh drama unfolded when he took on world number 9 Taylor Fritz on Friday.
The first set between Murray and Fritz was hard-fought, and the intensity between the two players was very high. Unfortunately, the match had to be abruptly paused due to protests.
The incident was very similar to the protests at Wimbledon last month. These dissenters, belonging to a group called Climate Defiance, halted the game for 5 and a half minutes.
BREAKING: we just profoundly disrupted the Citi Open, one of the world’s most prominent tennis tournaments.
We were brutally dragged out. Multiple members of our group were bloodied up and bruised. But we will not be deterred.
We will fight til we win.
There is no alternative. pic.twitter.com/xYLhBDbaUw
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) August 4, 2023
The group unfurled a large banner in the stands, asking people to stop using fossil fuels. They even threw large custom-made tennis balls on the court just as Murray was gearing up to serve.
Both players were visibly annoyed by the disruption. An already frustrated Murray even smashed his racket since losing the lead to Fritz. Taylor himself was quite irritated with the protestors as he said, “I get they’re protesting, but there’s just got to be a better way to do it.”
The status quo is a death sentence for our generation.
Business-as-usual is a recipe for climate disaster.
The world is literally on fire. It is time that Biden and Big Banks stop fanning the flames.
If you’re ready to join us sign up at https://t.co/xmKsDsQTVl
— Climate Defiance (@ClimateDefiance) August 4, 2023
The climate protestors were dragged out forcefully. The disruption broke Murray’s concentration as he lost to his American opponent, in an already rain-postponed match.
Andy Murray vs Taylor Fritz: As it happened
The top-seeded Taylor Fritz got the better of Andy Murray in a thrilling match that lasted over 3 hours. Murray threw everything he had at Fritz but eventually lost the match by 6-7, 6-3, 6-4.
This was Murray’s first time back in Washington since 2018, but he could not match up to Taylor Fritz. However, he did not let Taylor off very easily, breaking Fritz to level 5-5 in the first set. It went into a tie-breaker. Murray smashed a forehand winner against Fritz, replaced his torn shoe, and then returned to win the tie-breaker.
Fritz came at him hard in the second and third sets. He saved eight break points against the 3-time Grand Slam champion. He smashed 17 aces and adjusted his game according to the humid conditions. “I had to come to the net, I had to drop shot, and I had to just move the ball way more,” said Fritz after the match.
This loss will certainly hurt Andy Murray, with Fritz throwing a wrench in his plans before the US Open. Fritz returned to the court again on the same day and subsequently defeated Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinal. He has thus extended his winning streak to seven matches.