Taylor Fritz Hits Back After Being Accused of Throwing Shade at Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner About Tennis Schedule

Taylor Fritz will be bidding to win his second title at Indian Wells, which starts on March 4.

Taylor Fritz Hits Back After Being Accused of Throwing Shade at Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner About Tennis Schedule

L-R Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz (circle), Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ, Carlos Alcaraz 4K, HEAD Tennis, Novak Djokovic)

In Short
  • Taylor Fritz faced criticism from fans of Djokovic, Sinner, and Alcaraz over his comments on tennis scheduling.
  • He claimed top players have priority in choosing match time slots, which he feels affects his scheduling as well.
  • Fritz defended his remarks, stating he was not complaining but acknowledging the rights of top players to request preferred slots.

Taylor Fritz was on the receiving end of criticism from the fans of Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz, thanks to his opinion regarding the tennis schedule on a recent Twitch stream. The American claimed that the top three players have the power to influence scheduling decisions in big tournaments.

According to Fritz, Sinner, Alcaraz, and Djokovic are given priority when it comes to choosing the time slots they want. He also accepted that being the top American player also gives him this privilege, but his request is ignored if the players he is meeting are among the aforementioned three players.

It’s the priority matches, so at the end of the day, if Carlos, Jannik, and Novak are playing, they are going to get the time slots that they want to get. But also, you’re separated in the draw, so at the same time, Carlos and Jannik are going to be split, so on one day, Carlos is going to get his pick, on this next day, Jannik will get his.

Taylor Fritz said

The fans of Djokovic, Sinner, and Alcaraz are claiming Fritz tried to throw shade at them by complaining about the schedule. But Fritz called them out, saying that he, instead of complaining, was simply addressing the fact that top players have earned the right to choose slots.

U dumb? How can anyone watch this and think I’m complaining? I’m answering a question about the scheduling, priority players have earned the right to request and most of the time play in the slots they want, that’s how it is and nothing is wrong with that.

Check out his post here:

Alcaraz and Sinner were last seen in action at the Qatar Open, where the former defeated Arthur Fils in the final, while the Italian lost to Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals. Djokovic was last seen in action at the Australian Open, losing the final to Alcaraz.

CoCo Vandeweghe thinks Taylor Fritz has made a stupid decision in 2026

Taylor Fritz has been nursing a knee injury since last year. He has yet to fully recover from it, but in spite of that, he is continuing to feature in events to remain at the top of the sport.

Taylor Fritz
Taylor Fritz (Image via X/Jose Morgado)

After the United Cup, the 28-year-old lost to Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round of the Australian Open. He then made the final of the Dallas Open, losing the match to compatriot Ben Shelton. Then at the Delray Beach Open, Fritz lost to Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals.

The tennis world will next be shifting its focus to the Indian Wells Masters, the main draw of which is scheduled to start on March 4. Former WTA player CoCo Vandeweghe thinks Fritz needs to take a break to avoid aggravating his injury, bluntly calling his decision to play through injury “stupid”.

I think it’s stupid because he had knee injury that he had surgery on–But he knows that Indian Wells is one of his favorite tournaments, his biggest tournament for him in his mind, knowing Taylor, as I do, growing up with his dad, Guy Fritz, as my first coach, going to the desert was his second home, and he wants to play well there. So why would you sacrifice a run of back-to-back, like he did when you are pulling up to Australia, already injured? That, to me, just doesn’t make any sense.

CoCo Vandeweghe said on Tennis Channel’s Big T podcast

Fritz is a former Indian Wells champion. Back in 2022, he defeated Rafael Nadal in the final. He has yet to win another Big Title.

Also read: Tallon Griekspoor Shares Crucial Injury Update After Withdrawing from the Dubai Open Final