For ages, we saw Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominate the top two spots in the world of tennis. Even today, Alcaraz stands on the peak of the leaderboard, with Sinner trailing behind him just 1,340 points away. But there’s one man the duo should be wary of. He’s the one who once beat Sinner at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters with a score of 6-4, 6-3 – Taylor Fritz, the #4 ATP star. But why should the top two be worried about a player who is trailing around 6,000 points behind them? 

The answer came from the former #4, Tim Henman. In a recent conversation on Netflix’s Six Kings Slam, Henman claimed that Fritz is actually the closest man to the top two, even though he lacks more than a thousand points behind the #3-ranked Alexander Zverev. And this confidence came from Fritz’s workouts with Paul Annacone and Mike Russell. Coincidentally, Annacone was Henman’s ex-coach, too. He said, “He’s so efficient on serve and at the back of the court, both forehand and backhand, but [he needs to] try to finish a few points at the net when he’s so aggressive from those ground strokes.”

As quoted by the website Tennis365, Henman further claimed, “He’s brought in the drop shot a little bit, which I think, again, is good to get the opponents moving forward to backwards, not just side to side.” According to him, the American star is one of the players who continuously look to improve their skill sets. And that improvement had reflected in his on-court performance. Hence, Henman’s theory that, “he’s the one who’s most likely to close the gap between the top two,” stands validated.

Taylor Fritz has already beaten Jannik Sinner once. And that’s something that has pushed his confidence a notch higher. During a conversation with Tennis365, the American pointed out, “When you do something once, it feels a lot easier to do again and again.” And the possibility of beating Sinner might not be too far away. But one thing is for sure – Sinner and Alcaraz have kept pushing him to become a better player, similar to how they’ve pushed each other beyond limits. 

But why is everyone rallying for Fritz’s future at the top of the leaderboard? The answer lies in his rapid evolution. Let’s hear it from Mark Kovacs, a top-tier performance expert. 

What makes Taylor Fritz’s evolution so special?

Talking to Inside Tennis, Kovaks highlighted Fritz’s performance ever since he became a professional at the age of 15 or 16. Taylor Fritz was at the bottom of the list while the others in his group, like Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Stefan Kozlov, and Reilly Opelka, had much better movement. Kovacs said, “He was the lowest when it comes to those physical speed, agility-type tests, and every year he’s made a concerted effort to get better at that aspect of his game, and he’s now knocking on the door.”

According to Kovacs, Taylor Fritz is right up there at the top to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz. His rank as the current #4 is simply a testament to his evolution. His consistent work with Annacone and Russell has helped him gain the agility that he had been lacking previously. And now, he’s performing at a pretty high level. This season, Fritz’s stamina and speed have garnered quite a bit of attention in the sport. 

But there’s a lot that Fritz needs to work on. Prior to his battle against Sinner at the Laver Cup 2025, the American revealed his desire to reach the point where he can try to reach Sinner and Alcaraz’s level of dominance. After all, he believed, “There are very few tennis players who can compete head-to-head with them, even on a single day, and I’m working very hard to close the gap between me and them.”