Taylor Fritz could not have been more complimentary of Carlos Alcaraz’s game, when speaking after their Wimbledon semi-final.
In what was a relatively tight affair, last year’s US Open finalist will leave the All-England Club feeling buoyed, but ruing missed chances.
After all, being broken in his very first service game surrendered the first set, and then in the fourth he had two set points, both of which he squandered to lose the match.
To be that close to taking Carlos Alcaraz to a deciding fifth set is admirable, but there was still a clear gulf between them in quality and stature.
With that in mind, Taylor Fritz has highlighted the area of his opponent’s game that left him most impressed.
Taylor Fritz highlights the best area of Carlos Alcaraz’s game
Ironically, this adulation came just after Fritz pointed out the mid-match change Alcaraz made which also deserves admiration, with the 22-year-old seemingly starting to develop his own tactical brain that makes him far less reliant on Juan Carlos Ferrero.
A multi-faceted threat, to think that the world number two will only get better must be a scary prospect for players like the American, who are on the cusp of Grand Slam glory, but simply don’t have enough to threaten the established duopoly just yet.
Asked about Alcaraz specifically, he provided the media with a really interesting answer, replying: “Really impressed with, like I said before, his ability to win in so many different ways, plays so many different types of styles.
“I’m incredibly impressed with just how good his touch is around the net, like, pressure points, big points. He’s making, you know, just like serve and volley, like little touch volleys, look like, you know, looks like he’s never gonna miss it, like he can do it all day, and it’s not easy to hit those kind of delicate shots under pressure. So that’s really impressive.
“I mean, he just does everything so well, I think for a long time, people said, you know, his serve was one of the weaker parts of the game. There’s zero weakness with his serve. When he’s serving today, he’s hitting all the spots, he’s serving at the same serve speeds as me throughout the entire match.
“Really impressed with how much he’s improved his serve.”
Carlos Alcaraz to reignite rivalry with Jannik Sinner in Wimbledon final
Although it was tough for Fritz, and sad to see Novak Djokovic beaten so handily, Sunday has delivered the showdown that every tennis fan wanted.
Alcaraz and Sinner will reunite on the greatest arena in tennis: Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
After last month’s historic French Open final, the entire sports world came to a standstill to witness greatness unfold. And, after nearly six hours of play, the Spaniard came out on top.
It was a crushing blow for the 23-year-old, who actually saw three Championship points melt away in devastating fashion. That will surely be playing on Sinner’s mind as they meet again, the 13th iteration of their rivalry.
Regardless of who comes out on top, fans are guaranteed yet another spectacle.
