Taylor Fritz Reveals Who’s ‘Harder Opponent’ For Him Between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Taylor Fritz met Carlos Alcaraz twice and lost both matches but against Jannik Sinner, he is 1-4 in the head-to-head record.

Taylor Fritz Reveals Who’s ‘Harder Opponent’ For Him Between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Taylor Fritz, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jose Moron, Univers Tennis)

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner now share the last six Grand Slam titles between them. Many believe the changing of guards is happening in tennis as the last member of the Big 3, Novak Djokovic, last lifted a Major at the 2023 US Open.

These two young rivals are in London, gearing up for the Wimbledon Championships. World No.5 Taylor Fritz, on the other hand, is participating at the Eastbourne International, bidding to win his second grass-court title of the season following his Stuttgart Open victory (beat World No.3 Alexander Zverev in the final). During an interview with The Guardian, the American ace revealed who between Sinner and Alcaraz is the harder opponent for him.

I’d say Carlos is the harder opponent for me but I have to add the caveat that when we played in the Laver Cup I ran into the on-fire version of him where it just feels like there’s nothing you can do.

Fritz has met Sinner five times but could win just one time (in their first encounter in the fourth round of the 2021 Indian Wells). Last year, they met thrice, in the US Open final and twice at the ATP Finals. Against Alcaraz, Fritz hasn’t yet won a set in their two meetings, the last of which was in the round-robin stage of the Laver Cup.

So even though obviously Sinner has gotten me several times, pretty routinely, at least in those matches I felt like I could play tennis. In the Laver Cup with Carlos, I felt, for about 80 to 90% of the match, I couldn’t do anything.

Taylor Fritz added

Fritz, at the Eastbourne International, is chasing his fourth grass-court title. He lifted the ATP 250 event thrice, in 2019, 2022, and 2024.

Sinner and Alcaraz have won one and five titles this season, respectively. On the grass swing this season, the reigning Australian Open champion failed to defend his Halle Open title, but the Spaniard became the Queen’s Club Championships winner for the second time. It was also his fourth grass-court title.

Italian journalist reveals Jannik Sinner cried for 15 minutes after his French Open defeat

Before the grass swing, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner locked horns in the final of the French Open. The 22-year-old came from two sets down to defend his title but not before saving three championship points in the fourth set.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

Because of the heartbreaking defeat, Sinner had a few sleepless nights. Italian journalist Angelo Mangiante during an interview with Tutti Convocati revealed that the 23-year-old cried for 15 minutes after the defeat.

I felt bad for Sinner when he came to do the post-match interview and apologized for the delay, saying he had been crying for fifteen minutes in the locker room. He didn’t expect the crowd to be against him, and he was upset about that too. He’s trying to move on.

Alcaraz took an 8-4 head-to-head lead after his win. It was also his fifth consecutive win over the three-time Grand Slam champion. Before the French Open, Alcaraz denied Sinner the title in front of his home crowd at the Italian Open. At Wimbledon, Alcaraz will be bidding to win his third consecutive title. It was 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic whom Alcaraz defeated in the last two Wimbledon finals.

Sinner has never progressed beyond the semifinals. In 2023, Djokovic ended his run in the last four, while 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev knocked him out in the quarterfinals last year. Alcaraz could once again meet Sinner if they both reach the Wimbledon final. At the French Open, the two rivals met in a Grand Slam final for the first time.

Also read: Roger Federer Reveals the Three Most Memorable Matches of his Illustrious Career