Taylor Fritz has broken down what makes Carlos Alcaraz so great, having just lost to the world number two in the Wimbledon semi-final.
It was a tight and hard-fought affair, in which both players exhibited some of their very best tennis.
An early break condemned the 27-year-old to a one-set deficit, before he showed signs of life by stealing the second. In the end, the quality of his opponent told, as he was powerless to stop such a supreme level, which reached new highs at crucial moments in the match.
Taylor Fritz, in his post-match analysis of the clash, pointed out several interesting plot points from within the match.
However, there was one key turning point which left him really impressed.
Taylor Fritz praises ‘huge’ Carlos Alcaraz adjustment
Sat in the media room after a disappointing defeat, the ever-analytical Fritz offered a really insightful breakdown of what he felt went wrong during his Wimbledon semi-final match.
And whilst he was self-critical at times, he did also acknowledge the greatness he faced on the other side of the net.
Asked about Carlos Alcaraz, and what makes him so special, he went into great depth, stating: “Yeah, it’s like I just said, he has so many different ways to win, and he’s very good at making adjustments.
“He made a huge adjustment after the second set. I felt like the second set, I was like having a lot… I don’t know what the actual stats were, but I felt like I was having a lot of success on his second serve points. I felt like if he missed a first serve, I was applying a lot of pressure, winning a lot of points, and then even though he was mixing it up quite well, I thought was that you know that’s one of the things I was the happiest with what I was doing on the court.
“And then in the third set, he’d randomly be hitting 120 mile an hour second serves, and then, at the same time hitting like 85 mile an hour short kickers. So it’s like when someone’s serving that much variety on a second serve, it’s really tough to get on and be aggressive, and that was a great, you know, adjustment that he made in that match.
“And it’s risky, He’s going to maybe double fault a bit more, but he started serving, you know, almost two first serves at me sometimes. It’s a good adjustment, and he has lots of different things that he can do, and that’s what’s so tough about playing him. He makes adjustments and he has lots of different ways he can win.
“A lot of times, I know an adjustment that I need to make, but maybe that’s just not my game, so it’s not the best thing to do. But he can kind of do about everything, and he’s good at it, so he can always change it up to match, I guess, what you’re doing.”
Ironically, Andre Agassi pointed out a change that Fritz made mid-match, although it did not quite have the same impact as Alcaraz’s.
Taylor Fritz remains winless against Carlos Alcaraz
Although it was only their third career meeting, Fritz has started off his career against Alcaraz in the worst possible way, suffering three straight defeats and giving himself a mountain to climb in their head-to-head.
And whilst few can be blamed for having a negative record against the 22-year-old, what’s particularly frustrating about it for the American is that he proved that he does have the game to cause Alcaraz issues. It’s just about sustaining it over an entire match.
He suffered lulls in crucial moments, and it cost him.
Their first meeting came way back in 2023, with the current world number two winning their quarter-final match in Miami.
Next came last year’s Laver Cup clash, where Alcaraz stunned throughout the event, with this match no different. Another straight-sets victory.
And whilst yesterday may have looked routine in scoreline, Fritz pushed the two-time defending Wimbledon champion hard and deserves credit.
He is not that far away from where he wants to be.
