“I’m just an idiot”: Taylor Fritz dismisses Sam Querrey’s claim that his outfit blunder at US Open was a ‘strategic’ move

September 5, 2025

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Taylor Fritz reacted to Sam Querrey, who called the American No. 1’s upside-down headband a PR stunt when he played Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals at the 2025 US Open. Fritz fell in the first two sets but returned to form in the third before losing in the last set, thus losing his debut major title chances.

Fritz, who was just one step away from winning the US Open title in 2024, began this edition strong, losing only two sets on his way to the quarterfinals. He faced the legendary Serb and lost in three sets, 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, but instead of his loss, the American player’s upside-down Hugo Boss headband grabbed more attention.

When pictures of him confidently playing with the wardrobe malfunction made rounds on the internet, he wondered why nobody pointed it out to him. On the other hand, in a Nothing Major podcast episode, former player and host Sam Querrey claimed that it was a strategic play on Fritz’s part, maybe a PR stunt.

"That had to be strategic. Everyone's talking about the Hugo Boss headband. I'm convinced it was a strategic play. It wasn't a mistake. I don't think it was a mistake," he said.

His fellow hosts, John Isner and Steve Johnson, also agreed that it could have been a calculated move.

In the comments, Fritz amusingly reacted to Querrey's claim and admitted that it was just his stupidity not to notice the headband.

"@samquerrey reading into it to much… I’m just an idiot"

Fritz also partnered with Elena Rybakina to play the mixed doubles but lost to eventual champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori in the opening round.

Taylor Fritz wished to be in Novak Djokovic's position and play Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner in the finals

Taylor Fritz at the 2025 US Open - Day 10 - (Source: Getty)

Taylor Fritz lost to Novak Djokovic in 11 straight matches, the recent being the US Open quarterfinals. He also couldn't do much against World No. 1 and 2, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, in the face-offs. Following his US Open loss, Fritz admitted to being confident with the way he looked in the draw and feeling excited about his matches against the top players.

"I am not sure, but I was really excited at the fact that is what I was looking at in the draw. I was like, I have the opportunity to do the coolest thing ever and potentially try to go through Novak, Carlos and Sinner. I liked the challenge, so I am sure that being the competitor that he is, is very excited for that challenge,” he said (via press conference).

Taylor Fritz amassed two ATP Tour-level titles in 2025, winning the Boss Open and the fourth Easbourne title.

About the author

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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