Taylor Fritz loses to Alexander Zverev in Wimbledon quarterfinals after knee tendonitis flares up

LONDON (AP) — Taylor Fritz was three games into his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Alexander Zverev when his knee tendonitis started flaring up, and the American knew right away he was in trouble.

“I was just like panicking, ‘What am I going to do?’” the sixth-seeded Fritz said. “I just didn’t expect it at all.”

In the end, there was nothing he could do.

Zverev's serve and the pain in Fritz's knee were too much to overcome as the last American man left in the singles tournament lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 on No. 1 Court on Wednesday.

Fritz, who reached the 2024 U.S. Open final after beating Zverev in the quarterfinals, has struggled with knee tendonitis in the past. But he had no indication previously at Wimbledon that it might flare up again, aside from a bit of pain toward the end of his fourth-round win over Alexander Bublik.

“I expected, after a light day yesterday, to feel fine today,” he said. “Felt like my warm-up was great. Then, yeah, I have no answers as to why three games in it was like that.”

Fritz took a medical timeout during the second set to have his right knee worked on by a physio, but it wasn't enough to prevent Zverev from ending a seven-match losing streak against the American.

“He's beaten me for two years straight,” Zverev, the French Open champion, said. “I played a fantastic match.”

Fritz, also, was quick to point out that the result may have been the same regardless of his knee issue.

“He’s going to be extremely tough to beat the way he’s serving,” said Fritz, who earned four break points in the match but couldn’t convert any of them. “I don’t want to take away from how well he’s playing. … I’m just really sad that I didn’t get the chance to, like, get into it, I guess. I felt like just because I was thinking about the knee, my focus was kind of all over the place.”

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Alexander Zverev of Germany returns the ball to Taylor Fritz of the United States in their quarter-final men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates winning against Taylor Fritz of the United States in their quarter-final men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Taylor Fritz of the United States uses ice packs in a towel to cool during the men's singles quarter-final match against Alexander Zverev of Germany at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts to losing a point against Alexander Zverev of Germany in their quarter-final men's singles match at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Taylor Fritz of the United States receives medical attention during a changeover in his quarter-final men's singles match against Alexander Zverev of Germany, at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — England midfielder Jordan Henderson rejoined The Three Lions at their World Cup training base Wednesday after undergoing surgery on his left wrist following a freak injury that he sustained while celebrating their Round of 16 triumph over Mexico last weekend.

The 36-year-old Henderson posted a photo on social media of his left arm wrapped after the procedure at the Kansas City Orthopaedic Institute, which is about a 10-minute drive from their team hotel in the suburb of Prairie Village, Kansas.

“Surgery done!” Henderson said. “Now let's get ready for the big one Saturday.”

Henderson, who has been ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup, had been an unused substitute for Sunday's match against Mexico at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. The Three Lions had just survived a 3-2 thriller to advance to a quarterfinal against Norway when Henderson hurt his wrist while climbing over an advertising billboard.

Henderson was taken from the field on a stretcher and remained in Mexico City while the rest of England's players returned to their base camp in Kansas City, Missouri. He later returned to the United States and underwent surgery on the wrist.

“I think you'll see him on the side there in one way, shape or form,” England midfielder Morgan Rogers said after Wednesday's practice at Swope Soccer Village. “He'll be there and contribute to us playing and being involved. That's the kind of person he is, and the kind of player he is. He always puts his ego to the side and puts us first and tries to help us in the best way possible.”

Midfielder Declan Rice and defenders Marc Guéhi and Reece James also were not with the rest of the team for its training session ahead of the quarterfinal round. The Football Association said the trio was working on “individual programmes elsewhere.”

Rice and Guéhi played the entire match against Mexico, but James has been out since hurting his hamstring against Ghana in the group stage. It's an injury that looms even larger with Jarell Quansah serving a red-card suspension against Erling Haaland and Norway.

“A few players have played a lot of minutes and are just resting their legs,” Rogers said, “but I'm sure they'll be raring to go.”

Henderson's only World Cup appearance this year came in the group stage, when he came off the bench against Panama. It was his 91st career cap and made Henderson the first player from England to have appeared in four different tournaments.

“Time goes very quickly,” Henderson said that day in East Rutherford, New Jersey. “It’s very special to represent my country in four World Cups, so, yeah, I’m just delighted to be a part of this team. It’s still as special now as when I made my debut in 2010.

“Time goes quickly,” Henderson said, “but I’m just delighted that I can help the team as much as possible, both on and off the field, and just try and give everything I can to help us achieve our dreams, really.”

England failed to make it out of the group stage at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, and it lost to Belgium in the third-place match four years later in Russia. At the 2022 tournament in Qatar, The Three Lions reached the quarterfinals before losing to France.

Their only World Cup title remains their 1966 triumph over West Germany.

“We're human. You can't help but think every win is a step closer to the end-goal,” Rogers said. “At the same time, you take your eye off the ball for a second, there's really fine margins. … We're all on the same page in attacking every game as best as possible.”

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

England's Jude Bellingham trains for the World Cup soccer tournament Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Members of the English national team train for the World Cup soccer tournament Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

England's Harry Kane, front center walk to training for the World Cup soccer tournament Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

England's Harry Kane, right, and Jordan Henderson, left, celebrate at the the end of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Mexico and England in Mexico City, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

England's Jordan Henderson (14) is looked after by training staff following an injury in the postgame celebration in the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Mexico and England in Mexico City, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)