Taylor Fritz believes that world No 1 Jannik Sinner and world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz are ‘beatable’ at the upcoming US Open, with the American stating that he is a better player now than he was when he made the final at the last edition of the New York tournament.
The world No 4 is coming off a quarter-final 7-6(3), 3-6, 7-5 loss at the Citi DC Open to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Fritz will next participate in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto, as the second seed, with an opening-match clash with Roberto Carballes Baena.
Speaking ahead of his debut, the American is confident that he can challenge Sinner and Alcaraz at the upcoming US Open.
The pair have won all of the last seven Grand Slams, being well ahead of world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the official ATP rankings.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously we [Alcaraz] had a pretty close match at Wimbledon,” said Fritz, during his pre-tournament press conference.
“But, yeah, I mean, you can’t argue the fact that they’re outperforming, those two are outperforming the field, so that’s a fair thing to say.
“I think a lot of it depends on the conditions. I think in the right conditions and the right, like if 2the court’s decent speed, I feel they’re both beatable.
I think several players, if the right conditions are met, you know, if they’re not playing their best.
“In tennis, just the way tennis is, some people, there are small margins. You win the big points, someone’s having a really good serving day, a really good day, they’re a little bit off, like they’re very beatable.
“If you want to tell me how beatable they are on their best day, then that’s a little bit different.
“Yeah, there’s always going to be openings, just depending on the conditions, and if someone has a really good day or a really bad day, it’s possible.”
Fritz has made great strides at Grand Slam level, reaching the quarter-finals or further at five of the last eight such tournaments.
At the 2024 US Open, the American made his first Grand Slam final by defeating the likes of Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and Frances Tiafoe along the way – losing out to world No 1 Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
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Most recently, as the world No 4 alluded to, Fritz reached his maiden Wimbledon semi-final this season after two unsuccessful quarter-final defeats in 2022 and 2024.
It was world No 2 Alcaraz who prevailed in a tight 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (6) match, with Fritz also having a set point in the fourth to take the encounter to a fifth.
Fritz’s confidence likely stems from his belief that he is a better player now than when he made the showpiece match at the US Open, seeking to improve every area of his game.
“I feel like between the US Open and the ATP Finals last year, I did some things to improve my forehand a little bit. It’s a lot of little specific things,” the world No 4 analysed.
“I feel like I’m serving better this year than I was last year, definitely at the US Open. I’m hitting all my shots a little bit better, more consistently this year. I’m trying to move better. I’m not sure if I am, but I feel good. I’m always trying to improve a little bit on everything.”
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