Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz will be reunited at Wimbledon, with the pair set to fight it out for a place in the final.
Alcaraz has been impressed by Fritz on grass, with the American clinching titles on the surface at Stuttgart and Eastbourne this season.
Spaniard Alcaraz has also tasted success on grass on the ATP Tour in 2025, winning his fifth title of the season at Queen’s.
Tim Henman thinks Fritz can trouble Alcaraz in their Wimbledon semi-final, which takes place on Centre Court on Friday.
Both players can enjoy a two-day break, having won their respective quarter-finals at the All England Club on Tuesday.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesTaylor Fritz told what he must do to beat Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon
And such rest was referenced by former world number one Jim Courier in his analysis of the upcoming match.
He said of Fritz on Tennis Channel: “He gets two days off to rest, recover and plot a strategy to take on Carlos Alcaraz, who’s been tough on him in the two meetings that they’ve had. They played last year in a big match at Laver Cup. It was a pivot match and Alcaraz really throttled him.
“This court, more difficult for him to play defence on, although Alcaraz plays defence just about as well as Novak does here. But you’d like to be talking up Taylor’s chances if you’re Paul [Annacone] and Mike [Russell] for sure.”
And discussing the potential tactical approach from the American player, Courier noted: “Look I think Fritz’s game is really very straightforward.
“He needs to serve well, he needs to rock the forehand when he can, and he needs to keep throttling the backhand and change direction with the backhand down the line from time to time.
“You need to keep Carlos at bay. You don’t want Carlos pouncing on you, getting to the net, using all his creativity.
“You’ve got to suppress that with your firepower. How do you do that for five sets? That’s the question that is going to need to be answered.”
Taylor Fritz vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head
Fellow former world number one Lindsay Davenport added: “That’s where it tends to be a little bit more straightforward if you’re in Fritz’s camp. Yes, there are some nuances, maybe with patterns, but Fritz is going to win playing one style.
“He’s just got to execute it pretty darn well if he’s going to take out Alcaraz on this court. But as Jim has been talking about, probably easier for him on grass than maybe some of the other surfaces when the movements and getting in and out of the corners is a little bit more on display.
“He has a chance to go right through Alcaraz because of the speed of the grass. But he’s got to play a near-perfect match playing high-risk tennis.”
Courier then commented: “It reminds me of when Andre Agassi came to the US Open, this was probably about 10 years ago, and he ran into Andy Roddick in the locker room. And Roddick was going out to play [Roger] Federer.
“And Andy said ‘Any advice for me?’ And he says, ‘Yeah, if the rally goes more than five shots, just catch the ball and save your energy, because you’re not going to win it anyway’.
“That has to be Taylor’s mindset. He’s got to see ball, hit ball, and be very forceful. The longer these rallies go, the more likely it is that Carlos is going to outmanoeuvre him.”
Jim Courier responds when asked if Carlos Alcaraz can get better at Wimbledon
Courier was also on hand to give his take on Alcaraz’s current level at the Grand Slam, having been asked if he thinks the Spaniard can still take it up a notch.
He responded: “I think today was much closer to peak level. Look, he’s dropped sets, he’s lost a golf contest to Andy Murray. It’s not been a perfect Wimbledon for him, but he’s perfectly placed now, isn’t he?
“And he’ll also be fresh. This was a quick kill against Cam Norrie. He gets the two days off as well, so he’s going to have the jet fully fueled up and ready to go.
“I think it’s going to be a really great challenge for Taylor. Taylor’s got to play like he has nothing to lose out there, and we’ll see which way it goes. But it’s prime time baby, it’s good.”
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Adding her take, Davenport said: “Yeah, I can’t wait for that match-up. But to see Alcaraz how he’s moved through this tournament, few hiccups in the beginning, but there’s no panic anymore.
“Not that he ever really got too stressed, but to have all these majors behind him, he knows he can afford to maybe drop a set here or there as he’s working on things in his game, getting used to the courts this year.
“And what is he trying to do? Play his best tennis when it matters, which is the second week of majors. Looks like that’s happening for him.”
It is set to be a very exciting match between Alcaraz and Fritz, with the former undoubtedly the favourite going into the clash.
Both have shone on grass in their fantastic careers so far, but the Spanish star has been more impressive at Wimbledon overall, and is also enjoying a remarkable 23-match winning streak.