Carlos Alcaraz needs little motivation at this stage to continue towards his third consecutive Wimbledon title. But Taylor Fritz, his semi-final opponent, has made it easy for him.
“I know that if I play like I did today in the first two sets, nobody can do too much against me,” said the world number five after beating Khachanov. And Carlos picked up the gauntlet: “We’re going to go for it and what he says even gives me more motivation,” he said.
I know that if I play like I did today in the first two sets, no one can do too much against me
It will be a match, as the Spaniard says, “quite interesting to play, to watch”. With 95 direct serves, Fritz is the best ‘gunner’ of the four tennis players left in Wimbledon in the men’s draw. Far from the 111 of the Chilean Nicolas Jarry (eliminated by Norrie, victim of Alcaraz in the quarterfinals) but well above the 68 of Djokovic, the 62 of Carlos or a Sinner that is not even in the top-20 of this Wimbledon 2025.
But Fritz’s potential does not lie solely in his serve, although it is his main weapon. “He also shows a game that if I don’t raise the level… it’s very complicated, and that gives me even more motivation. We both arrive in very good shape. He is a player who plays very good tennis and when he reaches a high level, I know firsthand that it can give you a lot of confidence,” analyzed the Spaniard. However, he is not lacking in confidence: “Right now I’m also at a point with a lot of confidence, playing great tennis, I have a lot of confidence in myself”.
We both arrive in very good shape. He is a player who plays very good tennis
2-0 to Alcaraz
However, the history of duels between the two favors the Spaniard: two victories and zero defeats against the American. The first was in 2023, in the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 Miami, with a resounding 6-4 and 6-2. The second, in a very different context: the Laver Cup. Therefore, grass and Fritz, to a certain extent, are uncharted territory for ‘Carlitos’.
Fritz’s road to these semifinals, however, has been narrower and steeper than Alcaraz’s. In the first round he came close to drama against France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, who won the first two sets and had a tie-break in the fourth; in the second round, he also went to five sets against Canada’s Diallo. His only ‘moment of calm’ came in the last 16, when Thompson retired in the second set. Along the way, in the third round, he beat Spain’s Davidovich Fokina.
Fritz also feels that grass is his best surface: “Obviously, I’ve already made a semi-final and two quarter-finals at Wimbledon. I think it says a lot that half of my titles are on grass… given that grass is a very short part of the year compared to everything else. I think it would be silly of me to say that this is not my best surface.”
I think it would be silly of me to say that this is not my best surface
At 27 years of age, the San Diego ‘gunner’ has reached his best form. And now, he puts it to the test against the best in the world on grass. An Alcaraz who is looking to continue making history and achieve his third consecutive Wimbledon.
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