Taylor Fritz believes he has the ability to beat the best players in the world to claim his maiden Grand Slam title following his victory over Carlos Alcaraz earlier this year.
The American No.1 stunned his Spanish rival at the Laver Cup last month in what was Fritz’s first win over Alcaraz after three consecutive losses. However, he lost their most recent meeting in the final of the Japan Open in Tokyo.
The duo could renew their rivalry later this week at the extravagant 6 Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, where players received a $1.5M participation fee, with the winner taking home an additional $4M. Fritz will take on Alcaraz if he wins his opening match on Wednesday against Alexander Zverev.
“I always say in doing anything that I do, I think being able to do something once, whether it’s beating somebody, getting to a certain point in a tournament, or going deep in a Grand Slam, I’ve always felt like once you do it, it feels for me a lot easier to do again and again and repeat. I think it definitely helps,” Fritz said of his Laver cup victory during an interview with Tennis 365.
“I played a great match, but it gives me, I guess, a clear outline of what I need to do and what I can do to make it work.“
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are currently regarded as the frontrunners in men’s tennis, especially when it comes to the major events. The duo has won the past eight Grand Slam titles between them. In January, Alcaraz has a chance to achieve a career Slam before his 23rd birthday, should he triumph at the Australian Open.
“They’re two incredible players and I think that they push me to keep improving and becoming a better player to try and compete with them,” said Fritz.
“Playing Carlos, I felt like when I played him at the Lever Cup the previous year, he played well and I just felt like there was absolutely nothing I could do. I had no chance. And then this year, Laver Cup, and then even in the finals of Tokyo, I felt like the level was much closer and I feel like I’ve done a good job kind of improving and getting closer to that level.”
Fritz’s ultimate goal is to end his country’s 22-year wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion, with Andy Roddick being the last to do so at the 2003 US Open. His best result to date was reaching the title match at last year’s US Open, as well as the semi-finals at Wimbledon this season.
“I think the level is there for me when I’m playing my best tennis. It just kind of needs to fall into place in two weeks.” He explained.
Fritz’s win-loss record for 2025 currently stands at 50-19. During the grass swing, he won titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne.
