“I think I take almost more pride in this one because I feel like, start to finish, I won it, I earned it.” Taylor Fritz finally did it last week. After succumbing to three straight defeats against World No.1 and six-time slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, the American got him. The opportunity, however, arrived at Laver Cup where the World No. 5 powered Team World to a title win, eventually. But besting Alcaraz was undoubtedly the best moment of his campaign in San Francisco. For many, he provided a statement with a straight-set domination over the newly crowned King of New York. Alcaraz is not invincible, and Fritz proved it. And as expected, the buzz has already begun about his future glory. Especially when it comes to accomplishing the biggest title on the tour.

After watching Fritz’s heroics against the Spaniard last weekend, ex-ATP pros John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Jack Sock were left speechless. The American beat him 6-3, 6-2 contrary to expectations of many who believed Alcaraz would win this face-off. Isner revealed, in an episode of the Nothing Major podcast that Fritz’s performance against Alcaraz was the “Best I have ever seen him play. Absolutely lights out. The dude is a total gamer.” Echoing similar sentiments, Johnson said, “Yeah, you said it right. He is an absolute gamer.”

The former pro continued, “He played insane against Carlos.” He also stressed that Fritz is “somebody that can absolutely smash the ball on both sides of the racket, stand in the middle of the court and just throw haymakers whatever he wants.” But then, Johnson went on to make a bold slam prediction for the 27-year-old. Calling his Laver Cup performance “a work of art”, he added, “if that doesn’t give Taylor the confidence to win a slam, not that he didn’t have already, but to finally get a win over Carlos, at least in this format” it may “help Taylor’s confidence to be like, ‘Okay I can beat this guy. I know, here’s a blueprint.'”

Johnson also mentioned that Fritz’s “level was insane.” So much so that it seemed like “a beautiful masterclass of tennis.” Lastly, Sock also chimed in while showering praise on Fritz’s stunning win over Alcaraz. “It was awesome to watch. He played the best tennis we have probably ever seen him play.”

So what made Fritz really shine this time against his tour nemesis? Well, the 2024 US Open finalist did share some crucial details that helped him to finally outperform the 22-year-old after trailing in the H2H tally on past occasions.

Taylor Fritz spills the beans on how he beat Carlos Alcaraz

The American’s win over Alcaraz was special in more ways than one. The moment he beat the six-time slam winner in straight sets, Taylor Fritz became only the third American to beat the World No.1 at a team event. He joined the elite list featuring Andre Agassi (his captain at Laver Cup for Team World) and John Isner. Back in 1992 during the Davis Cup, eight-time slam winner Agassi defeated Stefan Edberg. Then in 2017, during the inaugural edition of the Laver Cup, Isner beat former 22-time slam king Rafael Nadal.

After the match, Fritz explained the key strategy behind his win over the Spaniard. “Three times I have played Carlos, he has broken me every single time. So that’s not how you want to start against someone like him. So, getting out of that first game was huge and then just playing a lot of big points with conviction.” He underlined, “I didn’t second-guess myself, I didn’t play too safe, I played with no fear on a lot of the big points.”

Furthermore, the 2025 Wimbledon semifinalist mentioned that he also changed his overall approach this time. “It’s the level. It’s taking advantage of those big moments, pulling the trigger, just going out and taking it. I’m hoping this can be a sign of things to come.”

Do you think Fritz’s emphatic win over Alcaraz will boost his morale to eventually fulfil his slam dream? Will he be able to do it at the Australian Open next year? Let us know in the comments below.