Taylor Fritz has had a very challenging start to the 2026 season and he has faced another setback ahead of the Australian Open.
Fritz was struggling with a knee injury at the United Cup this year, which he admitted could force him to take a break later this year.
This injury was clearly hampering the former US Open finalist, with Fritz losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas, Hubert Hurkacz and Sebastian Baez at the United Cup.
As a result, Fritz faced a ranking setback ahead of the Australian Open, and things have not got any better for the world number nine after he played a practice set against Jannik Sinner.
Taylor Fritz thrashed in practice set against Jannik Sinner
Prior to the 2026 season getting underway, Fritz spoke about closing the gap on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and he was given an opportunity to practice against the latter ahead of the Australian Open.
Sinner is the two-time defending Australian Open champion, and he will be looking to claim his third consecutive title in Melbourne this year.
The Italian played a practice set against one of the players who will be looking to stop him achieving that feat, but Fritz was unable to really test Sinner.
With both players seemingly putting their full effort into the practice set, Sinner beat Fritz 6-1 in a dominant statement ahead of the Australian Open.
This is not a good sign for Fritz, who appears to be very vulnerable ahead of the first major of 2026.
What is preventing Taylor Fritz from winning a Grand Slam?
When could Taylor Fritz play Jannik Sinner at the Australian Open?
While Fritz’s ranking drop will impact his draw at the Australian Open, it will not actually impact when he could play Sinner.
The earliest that Fritz could play Sinner is in the quarterfinals, but he will likely be hoping to avoid the world number two as he has only won one of their five previous meetings.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2021 | Indian Wells (R16) | Fritz beat Sinner, 6-4 6-3 |
| 2023 | Indian Wells (QF) | Sinner beat Fritz, 6-4 4-6 6-4 |
| 2024 | US Open (F) | Sinner beat Fritz, 6-3 6-4 7-5 |
| 2024 | ATP Finals (RR) | Sinner beat Fritz, 6-4 6-4 |
| 2024 | ATP Finals (F) | Sinner beat Fritz, 6-4 6-4 |
If Fritz is able to make it to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for just the second time in his career, then there is probably only one of the top four seeds he will want to meet.
In his 22 previous meetings against Alcaraz, Sinner and Novak Djokovic, Fritz has won just the two matches.
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However, Fritz actually leads his head-to-head against Alexander Zverev 9-5, and has won their last six meetings.
Fritz will discover his potential route to the Australian Open title when the draw takes place on Thursday, January 15.
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