Taylor Fritz missed out on a chance to reach his first Wimbledon final.
The 27-year-old was trying to become the first American man since 2009 to reach the championship match at the All-England Club.
Fritz has enjoyed an excellent grass court season in which he won the Stuttgart Open and Eastbourne titles.
He entered the Wimbledon semi-final on a nine-match win streak, which is very impressive. However, his opponent Carlos Alcaraz, has not lost at Wimbledon since 2022.
Taylor Fritz wants to improve his return of serve after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon
Taylor Fritz went toe-to-toe with Alcaraz as he attempted to do the hardest thing in tennis at the moment – beat the world number two, who is on a 24-match win streak.
After losing the first set, Fritz snatched the second set 7-5 following a loose game from Alcaraz who was serving to stay in the set.
The Spaniard restored his lead by taking set three and the fourth set between Alcaraz and Fritz was decided by a tiebreak, where the 27-year-old held two set points.
But Alcaraz raised his game and produced a delicate drop shot followed by an excellent forehand pass to save them, before a backhand found the line and Fritz hit the return long, sealing the win for Alcaraz, who will play Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
A disappointed Fritz spoke to the press afterwards and expressed his desire to improve his return of serve, especially when playing Alcaraz and Sinner.
“The thing is, a lot of the things I would have changed, I think would have only helped me for a point or two and then I think Carlos would have just made an adjustment but I don’t think it would have been a long term answer,” Fritz told reporters.
“I think I was not returning his first serve well at all. Part of that is because he served really well, like very well. Part of that is also because I know that I can’t just make the return because he will just drill the ball open court and then I will lose the point.
“Part of me not returning great is how well he is serving and then how I know I need to hit a good return if I want to be able to win the point, there is not much point of me blocking a return back and losing the point anyway.
“I could have maybe chipped a bit but I think that only works for a point or two, and then I think he starts to serve and volley me and he is incredibly comfortable doing that. I think that is something I need to get a lot better at is returning more aggressively.
“I think I return to put balls in the court, which is great for me against most people, because I can neutralise points but against him and Jannik might be the only guys, that if the return is not good their plus one is very dangerous.”
Taylor Fritz receives message from Andre Agassi after losing to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon
Fritz was devastated to lose his first Wimbledon semi-final, but he had an encouraging campaign.
He came perilously close to losing his opening match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, and was involved in another five-set battle against Gabriel Diallo.
However, his form and confidence grew as the tournament progressed, and he went on to be the last American man standing.
His performances were appreciated by Andre Agassi, who shared some nice words for Fritz while commentating for BBC Sport.
“Taylor, well done. You are paving the way for every American to believe they can and should expect more from themselves. You are a hell of a competitor,” Agassi said. “You deserve every bit of this. You are going to get your chances if you stay with it.
“Congratulations to Mike Russell and Paul Annacone. Keep making good decisions, keep being who you are, and I can’t wait to watch more of you.”
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