10-07-2025
Taylor Fritz made opinion clear on Carlos Alcaraz row after rival made millions
Taylor Fritz faces Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon semi-final on Friday afternoon, with the American having previously come to the defence of the Spaniard
Taylor Fritz is gearing up to challenge Carlos Alcaraz in a hotly anticipated Wimbledon semi-final clash. The 27-year-old American ace has his eyes set on ending Alcaraz's reign as champion when he takes to Centre Court Friday.
Seeded fifth at SW19 and regarded as the underdog, Fritz will draw on his grit against Alcaraz, who dispatched Cameron Norrie with a straight-sets victory in the quarter-finals. Fritz, however, has been on the same side as the young Spaniard in the past and leapt to his defence last year when Alcaraz faced flak for participating in off-calendar exhibition matches during a particularly heavy tennis season, which included the Olympics.
Alcaraz was critical of the packed calendar despite appearing at lucrative events like the 2024 Netflix Slam, where he faced off against Rafael Nadal, and the Six Kings Slam held in Riyadh.
Alcaraz previously voiced his concerns about the demanding tour to Sky Sports Tennis, saying: "The tennis schedule is so, so tight, we're travelling from tournament to tournament with just one or two days before the tournament begins, so it is difficult, but we have to get used to it."
Following accusations of double standards, Fritz defended Alcaraz over the issue, insisting that playing in exhibitions doesn't put the same toll on the body. Speaking last September, Fritz said: "I agree that it's tough for the tour to shorten the schedule when players will just play exos (exhibitions) to fill the time.
"I've seen a lot of people criticising some of the players, asking for a shorter season because they go and play Exos. I don't understand that part of the argument, because playing an exo vs a tour event aren't comparable to each other in terms of burnout, physically and especially mentally.
"A tour event can be five-plus days of playing all out and mentally being dialled in on all things on and off court, versus an exo, you show up, have some fun and entertain for a match or two. You don't have to all-out push your body, and there is absolutely zero mental fatigue or stress.
"In a lot of ways, an exo is a lot like a rest week and shouldn't be compared 1:1 with a tour event. I don't expect non players to fully comprehend what I mean by this, because it's tough to judge the mental and physical fatigue that playing tour weeks entails if you are not a part of it. I would fully expect players to understand what I mean by this."
Alcaraz came within a whisker of victory in the Riyadh exhibition tournament but ultimately took runner-up honours to Jannik Sinner. Even before he hit the court, Alcaraz made sure his bank account got a hefty boost, pocketing a cool £1.1 million just for showing up in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Sinner was all smiles with a whopping £4.42m winner's cheque. Not only did Alcaraz earn some serious cash in the Middle East, but a tour to the US also proved profitable.
The Wimbledon champion saw his fortune swell further with lucrative appearances in New York and Charlotte, triumphing over Ben Shelton to win the Garden Cup at Madison Square Garden.
Speaking on the Served podcast, journalist Jon Wertheim shared an insight: "I was told that Carlos will make more money this week than he will from any others, he made more money this week between these exhos than he did for winning Wimbledon."
When it comes to head-to-heads, Alcaraz has squared off against Taylor Fritz just twice. Their 2023 encounter at the Miami Open ended in Alcaraz's favour, 6-4 6-3. Their 2024 meeting at the Laver Cup also saw Alcaraz snatch victory in 6-2 7-5 scoreline.
