Taylor Fritz lost to the Spaniard at the ATP Finals, having led by a set to love.
In a three-set thriller, Carlos Alcaraz defeated Fritz, 6-7, 7-5, 6-3, to move to 2-0 in the Jimmy Connors Group.
Alcaraz now leads the head-to-head with Fritz, 5-1, and has picked up three ATP wins over the American this year.
Weighing in with her thoughts, former doubles star Rennae Stubbs has shared what she thinks Fritz needs to do to turn the tide in his rivalry with Alcaraz.
Rennae Stubbs tells Taylor Fritz to improve his volleys
On X, Stubbs told Fritz what he must do to become a consistent challenger at the sport’s biggest tournaments.
“If Taylor [Fritz] learned how to volley better, he would win these matches,” she said.
“It’s the one thing he just doesn’t do well enough to beat players like this in majors.
“He may win today, but over five sets, if he could get comfortable and competent at net, he really could win a major.”
To win a major title in today’s game, you’ll likely need to get past one of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Unfortunately for Fritz, his head-to-head record against both players is pretty poor.
Taylor Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 ATP Finals – RR | Carlos Alcaraz | Taylor Fritz | 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2025 Japan Open – F | Carlos Alcaraz | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2025 Laver Cup – RR | Taylor Fritz | Carlos Alcaraz | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2025 Wimbledon – SF | Carlos Alcaraz | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 |
| 2024 Laver Cup – RR | Carlos Alcaraz | Taylor Fritz | 6-2, 7-5 |
| 2023 Miami Open – QF | Carlos Alcaraz | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 6-2 |
Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 ATP Finals – F | Jannik Sinner | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2024 ATP Finals – RR | Jannik Sinner | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 6-4 |
| 2024 US Open – F | Jannik Sinner | Taylor Fritz | 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2023 Indian Wells – QF | Jannik Sinner | Taylor Fritz | 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 2021 Indian Wells – 4R | Taylor Fritz | Jannik Sinner | 6-4, 6-3 |
Fritz hasn’t beaten either player on the ATP Tour (Non-Laver Cup) since 2021.
That will need to change if he is to end America’s 22-year wait for a men’s singles Grand Slam champion…
Who was the last American man to win a Grand Slam?
Between 1989 and 2003, an American male won at least one of the four available Grand Slam titles each year.
- 1989: (1) Michael Chang – French Open
- 1990: (1) Pete Sampras – US Open
- 1991: (1) Jim Courier – French Open
- 1992: (3) Jim Courier – Australian Open/French Open, Andre Agassi – Wimbledon
- 1993: (3) Jim Courier – Australian Open, Pete Sampras – Wimbledon/US Open
- 1994: (3) Pete Sampras – Australian Open/Wimbledon, Andre Agassi – US Open
- 1995: (3) Andre Agassi – US Open, Pete Sampras – Wimbledon/US Open
- 1996: (1) Pete Sampras – US Open
- 1997: (2) Pete Sampras – Australian Open/Wimbledon
- 1998: (1) Pete Sampras – Wimbledon
- 1999: (3) Andre Agassi – French Open/US Open, Pete Sampras – Wimbledon
- 2000: (2) Andre Agassi – Australian Open, Pete Sampras – Wimbledon
- 2001 (1) Andre Agassi – Australian Open
- 2002 (1) Pete Sampras – US Open
- 2003 (2) Andre Agassi – Australian Open, Andy Roddick – US Open
However, since Andy Roddick won the US Open title in 2003, no American man has been able to lift a major title.
Fritz came closest 12 months ago, reaching the final in New York, but came up short against Italian star Sinner.
American fans hoped that Fritz would push on in 2025, but he was unable to do so, despite making a career-best run at Wimbledon.
Fritz lost to Alcaraz in a four-set thriller at SW19, missing out on a place in the Championship match, where he’d have met Sinner in a US Open final rematch.
Perhaps he’ll go one step further in 2026 and return to the final of a Grand Slam, and potentially become the first male American winner at a major tournament in 23 years.
Fritz will likely return to Grand Slam action at the 2026 Australian Open, which begins on Monday, January 12.
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