Fashion Forward Fritz Flies Through Wimbledon Opener

By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Photo credit: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty

Wimbledon—Serving is Taylor Fritz’s strong suit.

Making a formal entrance on No. 1 Court, a fashion-forward Fritz spent his Wimbledon opener dressing down Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 to fly into the Wimbledon second round.

Clad in an ivory suit from his sponsor, Hugo Boss, Fritz played streamlined tennis and was nearly untouchable on serve.

Fritz served 66 percent, won 40 of 48 first-serve points, pumped 14 aces against no double faults and saved the only break point he faced in an impeccably-tailored one hour, 41-minute victory.

The day after Naomi Osaka lit up Wimbledon fashion wearing a pristine white kimono on court, Fritz raised his style game as well, though he’s not quite sure how his fans will respond.

“I think Boss came to me with the idea of wanting to do it, and so we did it,” Fritz said. “You know, I wasn’t 100% sure how I felt, but after seeing the pictures after the match, I feel like it looked all right.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I think people are going to be torn. I think some people are going to like it and some people are going to think that anyone who is dressed up to walk out is doing too much.”

The suit wasn’t the only difference for Fritz, who was scheduled to face fellow former Indian Wells champion Jack Draper in a blockbuster opening-round clash. Draper withdrew yesterday after suffering a recurrence of a left arm injury and opening the door for lucky loser Lajovic to take his place.

Fritz, whose five career grass-court titles are second among active men to Novak Djokovic (eight grass-court championships), said he carried confidence from his run to the Wimbledon semifinals last July and a couple of lawn finals in Stuttgart and Halle where he lost to compatriots Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, respectively.

The fourth-seeded Shelton failed to convert a match point today bowing to Otto Virtanen in five sets, leaving Fritz as the highest-ranked American man.

“Obviously my confidence should be high based off of, you know, how the grass court season has gone for me. But probably a little more nervy than previous years, because I get in that rhythm,” Fritz said. “I win Eastbourne, I come here, and it’s like just playing matches almost every day.

“It’s almost like I know there is no doubt when I step on the court that I’m going to play to a certain level, I’m going to play well. I just bring a bit more confidence. I like to play.”

Wearing the suit for the walk-on wrapped Fritz in a unique pressure.

“Maybe not more nervous, but you show up in a full outfit and get snipped in the first round, you kind of look stupid,” Fritz said. “You look really stupid, honestly.”

On this day, Fritz was commanding. Fritz will face compatriot Patrick Kypson as he plays for a Wimbledon third round spot for the fifth time in the last six years.

When it comes to formal wear, Fritz said he had just one request.

“Honestly, for the first thing they sent me, I thought it was pretty solid,” Fritz said. “Then just I guess the fitting process and me saying, like, If we’re going to do pants, they need to be able to come off easily on the court. That’s what I did.

“I was unsure, game-time decision on the scarf. I wasn’t sure about it, but I thought it looked all right.”