"I feel like there are days where I can play on that level" - Taylor Fritz explains why Carlos Alcaraz is tougher to play than Jannik Sinner

Taylor Fritz will not be at this year's ATP Finals, but he has already got a head start on the rest of the competition with a run to the final of the Stockholm Open, defeating Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-2 to get himself in another ATP final this year.

It is a sixth ATP Tour final in 2026 for the American, but he has only managed to win one of them, coming at the DC Open. His form has picked up for the better in recent times following a torrid year with form struggles and injuries preventing him from returning to the ATP Finals. A bitter blow, especially after those missed match points against Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Masters.

The grind does not stop for Fritz, already looking towards next year. A win over Cameron Norrie was followed by Holger Rune withdrawing from their highly anticipated quarter-final tie. He then made light work of Musetti to set up a final showdown against Thiago Agustin Tirante, who is in a first ever ATP Final.

Fritz will finish the year in the top 10. A title triumph will provisionally put him ahead of Rafael Jodar into ninth. In an interview with Bolavip, he seemed satisfied with his recent displays. “The level I have played at the end of the year is giving me a lot of confidence that I am still improving a lot and moving in the right direction," he said. "For the last year and a half I have dealt so much with my knee and it`s been really tough for me to actually improve. That has definitely been very tough for me Really tough.

“The last couple of months have been encouraging, and I finally see improvement in my game. I am really excited for what`s to come, because I finally have the feeling I can play a lot. I can finally start fixing the things in my game that I need to fix to win a Grand Slam.”

The 2024 US Open finalist has failed to capitalise on the absence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner this campaign. If he was fit, he would most likely be a firm challenger to the likes of Alexander Zverev, who won two Grand Slam titles.

He detailed what he had to do if he was going to achieve his major ambitions. “A lot of what I want to improve is transitioning, you know coming forward to the net," he commented. "Also, one thing is coming forward, but I need to be able to generate enough power with the dead balls and make a good enough approach shot to come forward."

There is a lot more to it than simply just becoming better at volleying the ball. “It`s too easy to say I just need to volley better, because the guys today are so fast and have so amazing passing shots, so it doesn`t really matter how good you volley if you don`t come in at the right time.”

Fritz was questioned what splits him between Alcaraz and Sinner, to which he was unsure at first due to him not watching a lot of tennis.

“It`s tough to say what separates me from Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, actually. I haven`t played Jannik for a while, so it`s tough to say, because I don`t really watch a lot of tennis to be honest. He is an amazing returner and mover and just such an elite ball striker of course.

“With Carlos, I feel like there are days where I can play on that level, basically like I did in Paris, where I was in a position to beat him. I was on the same level as him in that match, so it`s definitely more in terms of the consistency.”

Fritz bettered Sinner only once, all the way back in 2021. Four meetings since, the Italian is the dominant force in the rivalry. It is even more daunting against Alcaraz. The seven-time Grand Slam champion has come out on top in seven of their eight encounters, with the only defeat coming at the 2025 Laver Cup.

He takes no pressure into his contests against the top two, signalling Alcaraz as the more 'uncomfortable' opponent. “Playing like that all the time is easy to do when there is no pressure on you against such a good player, so I think it taught me to play with no pressure and an aggressive style where I feel like I have nothing to lose, and then I just need to do it all the time.

“I think Carlos is very uncomfortable playing due to his way of playing. He makes me more uncomfortable than Jannik, but Jannik will beat me more by playing my own game, which means that I feel comfortable against Jannik, but he still beats me doing it.”

The ATP Tour can be brutal at times. Players are always on the road with the competitions coming thick and fast. Tirante recently commented about loneliness that can emerge in this environment. Fritz understood his perspective.

“I am pretty shy in general, so I don`t really talk to the other guys in the locker room, except for my very close friends on the Tour. I am pretty chill and laid back, so I just do my own thing, but I get what Tirante is saying, because it really is tough to be on the Tour all the time.”

The Stockholm final will be Fritz's last match on the ATP Tour this campaign, with the USA failing to qualify for the Davis Cup Finals. He is someone who plays a lot of tennis compared to other players and continues to voice his demands of a longer off-season.

“I have been campaigning for a very long time that we should have more time off. The season is very long and you have to be very focused all the time and you never get a break. It can be pretty lonely being on the Tour, so I think a lot of people are feeling the same way as Tirante to be honest. A lot of players understand where he is coming from.”