Carlos Alcaraz is on the brink of accomplishing multiple milestones at once at the 2025 Wimbledon. The 22-year-0ld, five-time slam champion can become just the second man, after Bjorn Borg in the Open Era, to complete a Double Channel Slam. If he wins on Sunday in the final, Alcaraz will also mirror Borg’s staggering record of clinching six singles trophies in his first 18 slam campaigns. Plus, the Spaniard can also escalate his overall match wins to 78 in his first 18 major appearances (akin to Borg again) should he lift the Gentlemen’s trophy. But he can only do all of this if he clears the semifinal test on Friday against American star Taylor Fritz. And going by a former ATP icon’s words, it seems Fritz can break Alcaraz’s dream of a Wimbledon three-peat. How?

While Alcaraz has been phenomenal this season on grass, so has been Fritz. After his early exit in the first round at the French Open, he’s made an unexpected comeback on the green surface. Last month, he won two titles, in Stuttgart and Eastbourne. He then carried the same form into the grass major as well. Result? He’s made it to his maiden Wimbledon semifinal (previous best was reaching the quarterfinals twice). Moreover, the way Fritz has earned his victories throughout the campaign in last two weeks is simply remarkable. Despite facing lethal serves, injuries, and intense five-setter challenges, he’s made his presence felt at the All England Club this season. And ex-American legend Jim Courier has got a strong belief that Fritz can end a 25-year-old wait. For the uninitiated, Pete Sampras was the last American man to win Wimbledon, back in 2000.

Speaking during an episode of the Tennis Channel live podcast, four-time slam winner Courier backed Fritz to beat Alcaraz in the semifinal. Really? But how can he stop Alcaraz’s reign on grass where he’s been so strong lately? The ex-ATP pro explained, “Grass is just a quicker, lower-bouncing surface than what they’ve played on in the past. And that is certainly an advantage for Taylor because the longer these rallies go, the more athletic these points become, the bigger the advantage that Alcaraz has.”

Further, he went on to suggest plans on how Fritz can actually overcome Alcaraz. “It all starts with a serve. He has one of the biggest best serves in men’s tennis. At 6’5”, he can also access a lot of short parts in the court, in the wide aspects.” What’s more? There’s the “monster forehand to back it up. So the serve plus one shortening the points. If he can keep these points to five shots or less, that’s when he’s going to have his best chance of doing the damage.”

Last but not the least is the “backhand down the line along those same lines of how do you shorten the point and keep things in control of your Taylor Fritz, that’s also going to be a key shot.” But guess what? Courier’s not the only one who believes Fritz can dismantle Alcaraz.

Emma Raducanu’s coach favors Taylor Fritz to defeat Alcaraz

Former British pro and WTA star Emma Raducanu‘s current coach Mark Petchey has sided with the American ahead of his awaited face-off against Alcaraz. Yes, Petchey admitted that the Spaniard is a fan-favorite going into Friday’s match “but for a guy who has already won two grass court tournaments and has shown prowess on this surface numerous times over the last years, not just obviously getting through to the last four, I give him a puncher’s chance.”

He added, “I actually think it’s a benefit for him that his path has not crossed much with Carlos in the past, and there is still that unknown factor.” Simply put, Petchey believes that having played less against Alcaraz may provide an edge to Fritz to come up with a surprise element on the grass.

The last time these two met, it was during the 2024 Laver Cup, on a hard court. In a group stage match, Carlos Alcaraz emerged victorious as he bested Fritz with a score line of 6-2, 7-5. Overall, he also leads the H2H tally 2-0 at the moment. While everything seems to be going in favor of the Spaniard, it will be intriguing to see how the American will tackle him on the Centre Court on Friday.

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