Emma Raducanu’s coach thinks Taylor Fritz has one ‘benefit’ which could help him surprise Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon

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Emma Raducanu’s coach has now emerged to provide his insight into Thursday’s Wimbledon clash between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz.

A hotly anticipated semi-final, with a spot in the grand finale up for grabs, naturally many are assuming that the Spaniard will saunter to victory.

After all, he finally seemed to find his best level against Cameron Norrie, sweeping the Brit aside in front of a stunned home crowd.

If he plays like that, it’s worth wondering if anyone can stop him.

And yet, Mark Petchey thinks Taylor Fritz has one thing that gives him a slight edge over the two-time defending Wimbledon champion.

Mark Petchey makes prediction about Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz match

Chatting on the Grand Slam Daily podcast, Petchey spoke about everything from Raducanu to the ongoing Wimbledon tournament.

And, when touching on the latter, he sought to preview Carlos Alcaraz’s next match, a semi-final clash with Fritz.

Naturally, the American will head into the showdown as the heavy underdog, but has shown great self-confidence in the lead-up, which might inspire some to believe that an upset is in the offing.

Petchey certainly rates his chances, noting: “They played at Laver Cup obviously and just one other time. Carlos has got the better of him.

“Carlos will go into that as firm favourite, but for a guy who has already won two grass court tournaments and has shown prowess on this surface numerous times over the last years, not just obviously getting through to the last four, I give him a puncher’s chance.

“I actually think it’s a benefit for him that his path has not crossed much with Carlos in the past and there is still that unknown factor.”

Jim Courier has also predicted Fritz’s chances of beating Alcaraz, but was not so optimistic.

How can Taylor Fritz knock Carlos Alcaraz out of Wimbledon?

It feels like Fritz’s chances of beating Alcaraz rely on two things happening.

He will have to be on top, top form, whilst his opponent will have to be enduring a lull like he did in his first few matches at Wimbledon this year.

Because, if the 22-year-old is firing from the start, it feels as though the matches become a foregone conclusion, regardless of who is standing on the other side of the net.

Taylor Fritz’s head-to-head vs Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz’s serve at Queen’s, after his match with Jaume Munar, was impeccable. It looked unbreakable.

And yet, the start of this Grand Slam has seen it revert to its old unpredictability.

If Fritz can attack that serve and remain perfect with his own service games, instantly he gives himself a fighting chance.

The worry is that Alcaraz recaptures that serving form and pairs it with his lethal return, meaning that there will be little anyone can do to stop him.

Unfortunately for Fritz, the outcome of this semi-final clash seems to rest on the racket of his opponent.