Carlos Alcaraz came from behind to stun Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals in a brilliant match on Tuesday.
Alcaraz now has one foot in the semifinals and needs one more win to guarantee himself the world number one going into 2026.
Alcaraz said he struggled against Fritz, but after dropping the first set 7-6, he never really looked back and secured breaks to topple the American again in 2025.
Alex de Minaur admitted he struggled with Alcaraz’s brilliance in his first match of the tournament, and the Spaniard looks well rested following an early exit from the Paris Masters.
Alcaraz is enjoying the conditions in Turin, and he looks on course for a tilt at another title this week.
What Carlos Alcaraz said about Taylor Fritz’s claims
Fritz offered an injury update after losing to Alcaraz, and he did appear to be struggling a little bit towards the end of the match.
Fritz also praised Alcaraz for his efforts on the court, too, and now the Spaniard has responded to the claims from his beaten opponent.
He said in his press conference: “I’m just trying to be in his mind before he hits (smiling).
“I don’t know. Just depends. We study a lot of the players in some matches or in the easy balls, where they’re going to hit more often. Sometimes he changes, the players change. But there is always a spot that he feels more comfortable hitting in a difficult moment or in a pressure moment. We study that, and we try to have that instinct to go to that side and pray that he’s going to be on that side.
“I think today I went to the correct side a couple of times. So, probably after all, he felt a little bit of pressure in that ball. That’s why he missed a little bit.
“But it was just thinking about one side and going for it (smiling).”
Fritz has a big problem to solve
When it comes to beating most players on the ATP Tour, Fritz is absolutely fine, but something has to change if he’s to win a Grand Slam.
There are still some flaws at the net for Fritz to iron out, and as a result, that has hampered him against the likes of Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
Fritz has ultimately improved considerably in the last two years, reaching a Grand Slam final and making the last four of Wimbledon this year.
However, he wasted a golden chance to beat Alcaraz yesterday, and once again, it’s a defeat against one of the game’s top players, and that continues to happen.
Fritz is 28 now, and in the off-season, there are certain things that need to be worked on if he’s to get over the line at a big tournament in 2026.
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