Sports

Facing Carlos Alcaraz tougher than any of the ‘Big Three’– Taylor Fritz


March 30, 2023;  Miami, Florida, USA;  Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts after winning the first set against Taylor Fritz (USA) (not pictured) during the men's singles quarterfinals on day 11 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.  Required credit: Geoff Burke-USA Sports TODAY

March 30, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) reacts after winning the first set against Taylor Fritz (USA) (not pictured) during the men’s singles quarterfinals on day 11 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Required credit: Geoff Burke-USA Sports TODAY

American Taylor Fritz faced world number one Carlos Alcaraz for the first time in Thursday’s Miami Open quarter-final loss and said it was a tougher experience than facing any of the sport’s previous ‘Big Three’.

Strong Alcaraz dominated from the start, breaking tenth-placed Fritz at the start of each set as he won 6-4, 6-2 in 78 minutes.

When asked how his first match against the Spaniard compared to his first matches against Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or the now retired Novak Djokovic, Fritz made no secret of his intentions. his opinion.

“Oh, I definitely feel like I have more breathing space against those guys than I did in this match,” he said.

“I think it’s different game styles. Novak will have these protracted rallies, but he will gradually take you out of position and overwhelm you. I still feel like I can hold on to these rallies for a long time and have more opportunities to attack,” he said.

“I think I will go back to the first few games of the match. He just hit the winner in a lot of hits, hits that people usually don’t hurt me.

“I just felt he attacked more and pressed me more,” he said.

Fritz believes Alcaraz is ahead of many Grand Slam winners like Federer, Nadal and Djokovic as teenagers.

March 30, 2023;  Miami, Florida, USA;  Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) (right) shakes hands with Taylor Fritz (USA) (left) after their men's singles quarterfinal match on day 11 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.  Required credit: Geoff Burke-USA Sports TODAY

March 30, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) (right) shakes hands with Taylor Fritz (USA) (left) after their men’s singles quarter-final match on day 11 of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Required credit: Geoff Burke-USA Sports TODAY

“It’s not even what I see today. That’s what I’ve been seeing for a while now. I said that a year ago when I watched him play, even though he is young he has all the tools,” he said.

“He can hit the net, he can shoot far away, he can tire you, he’s super fast, he has all the power, his forehand is good, his backhand his is good too,” he said.

“It’s very rare to see someone so young grow in their game and not really have anything that they need to work on that much,” he said.

“He has loads of different ways of playing and he can combine loads of different game plans to play against different players because he has so many tools to win a match.

“I think that’s something I wouldn’t say any of those people had at such a young age. I guess there are always things that people need to improve on,” he said.

Alcaraz began his rapid rise over the past year with a win in Miami before winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open.

The Spaniard is currently looking to complete the ‘Sunshine Double’ following his victory at Indian Wells earlier this month.

Fritz certainly expects to see more wins for the 19-year-old, who he says is already a complete package and admits he simply couldn’t cope with early game time.

“I really felt the level of the first three games was completely unbearable. He hit the winners clean after 110 mph second serves that I was hitting his body. I’m stepping up and breaking the backhand cross, and he’s going to win the open backhand,” he said.

“It was not the level for the rest of the game. I could have been much more consistent, and he didn’t do that the whole game. But he obviously has that level, and in those first few games it was pretty overwhelming.”

BUT RELATED STORY


Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.


Your registration has been successful.

Continue reading

Don’t miss the latest news and information.

Register QUESTIONER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer and more than 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to news, download as early as 4am and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.

For feedback, complaints, or requests, Contact us.

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button