Taylor Fritz risks upsetting prestigious sponsor over US Open blunder
Taylor Fritz was spotted wearing his Hugo Boss headband upside down for his US Open quarterfinal match against Novak Djokovic - and fans were quick to notice
Taylor Fritz was spotted sporting his Hugo Boss headband upside down during his bid to break his losing streak against Novak Djokovic.
In a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, Fritz went head-to-head with Djokovic for a spot in the US Open semifinals. As the last American man standing in the tournament, Fritz had a wealth of support, even against the immensely popular 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is eager to expand his trophy cabinet.
Fritz is still on the hunt for his first major title and aims to be the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to clinch a Grand Slam. He has been defeated in all of his previous 10 matches against Djokovic, suggesting he might need to rethink his strategy and approach.
This could begin with the headband, as eagle-eyed fans noticed Fritz wearing his iconic Boss embroidered headband upside down. His black headband appeared to read 'SSOB', which could have been an attempt to change his luck or simply an oversight. Regardless, Hugo Boss is unlikely to be amused.
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Hugo Boss shells out $7 million annually for Fritz to don their brand's attire on tennis' grandest stages. A Grand Slam quarterfinal against arguably the greatest player of all time under the floodlights is about as big as it gets, and Boss' advertisement is inverted.
Considering his dismal 0-10 record against Djokovic, Fritz's upside-down headband could be seen as a masterstroke.
One user on X proposed that Hugo Boss should consider producing merchandise such as hats and headbands featuring the inverted logo, if Fritz progresses to the semifinals and faces off against Carlos Alcaraz.
After the match Fritz tweeted: "Yo, why’d nobody tell me that s**t was backwards. "I guess you have to switch things up when you're 0-10 against someone."
After his straight-sets victory over Tomas Machac, setting up a clash with Djokovic, Fritz was questioned about his track record against Djokovic. He feels he's had better chances in recent encounters as he's enhanced his game.
"The thing is, I think it's spanned over so many years," Fritz said. "Like, I think the first, almost like seven or eight times I played him, I probably just wasn't a good-enough player to really have that much of a chance unless I have the best day ever and he has a bad day.
"I think only the last couple times we've played I think I've been this just better player that can, you know, I'd say compete and have chances.
"Last time we played in, I think was it Shanghai, I mean, I had looks, I had set points in the second set. Like, I really should have probably won the second, taken it to a third set.
"But yeah, I think what makes it tough is he serves well, he serves aggressive on second serves. It's tough to take advantage of his serve for how well he also returns and just is from the baseline.
"He backs it up incredibly well with the serve. So it's tough to sometimes get on him the way that he's getting on you with the return."
Djokovic ultimately secured a 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Fritz, paving the way for a thrilling semi-final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.