Taylor Fritz lost to Carlos Alcaraz to hand Team Europe the Laver Cup (Image: Getty Images for Laver Cup)
spelt out the differences between taking on and Jannik Sinner – as the US star admitted both are “insane players”. The 26-year-old can certainly be forgiven for holding a grudge against two of tennis’ biggest stars considering the heartbreaking defeats he’s suffered at their hands.
Fritz was representing Team World at the Laver Cup earlier this month and was beaten by Alcaraz – representing Team Europe – 6-2 7-5, which decided the champion of the tournament. It was their fifth triumph and occurred despite entering the final day trailing 4-8.
The San Diego native’s loss at the tournament came just weeks after falling to Sinner in straight sets in the US Open final, the first appearance of a Grand Slam final for the American. He was the first US male player to reach a US Open final since Andy Roddick achieved the feat in 2006.
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Speaking after his defeat to the Spaniard, Fritz was asked to compare the match-ups between the sport’s young stars as he replied: “It’s a little tough to compare the two, just because the conditions are so incredibly different, it’s so much slower here versus the US Open, so it’s very tough.”
He pointed out Sinner’s superior serve over Alcaraz but said the overwhelming style of play of the four-time Grand Slam champion had a significant impact on his performance in the Laver Cup. “I did feel Jannik maybe can serve a bit better, but from the ground I felt like I had pretty much no time to play today, trying to get into rallies, feel things out,” he added.
Taylor Fritz lost to Jannik Sinner in straight sets in the US Open final this year (Image: Getty)
“I just didn’t really ever get to settle in. I was always being rushed and moved, and I definitely felt like I had less breathing room against Carlos. But I mean, both are insane players.”
Fritz got back to action at the Japan Open but was defeated in the Round of 32 by Arthur Fils as he lost 4-6, 6-3, 3-6. The American No.1 discussed some of the physical issues he’d been suffering with throughout the Laver Cup but played down the seriousness of it.
“I just have something with the balls. I’ve been having some tightness in my left shoulder, noticed it after the first day,” he explained. “It’s more from hitting backhands and it gets tight, and I struggle to toss the ball a bit, but it kind of lit up on me a bit in the second set of the match yesterday.”