Former World No. 4 Tim Henman claimed last week that Taylor Fritz is the prime candidate to end Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s duopoly over the ATP Tour. The Brit reasoned that while the American had the serve and rallying skills to rival his higher-ranked peers, there were a few areas for improvement that could lead to a more challenging performance at the top of the men’s game.
Fritz was one of the elite six ATP pros who competed at the much-coveted Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Riyadh last week. The World No. 4 lost 4-6, 2-6 to eventual runner-up Alcaraz in the semifinals on Thursday, October 16, before securing a third-place finish.
Is Taylor Fritz Finally Ready to Join Tennis’s Elite Tier?
During his commentary for Netflix, former player-turned-analyst Tim Henman noted that the 27-year-old had proven his caliber with his impressive results this year. Henman went as far as to suggest that Taylor Fritz was the “most likely” top player currently who can give some competition to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
“So I think he’s one of these players who’s always looking to improve. That has been reflected in his results, and I think he’s the one who’s most likely to close the gap between the top two,” Tim Henman said while talking about Taylor Fritz at Six Kings Slam.
Tim Henman also attributed Taylor Fritz’s connection to Paul Annacone, who previously coached Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and the four-time Wimbledon semifinalist himself, to his recent success. However, he did concede that the American needs to make good use of his big serve and groundstrokes and be more aggressive from the forecourt.
“He works with Paul Annacone and Mike Russell. Paul Annacone was an old coach of mine. I think it’s just about trying to bring that extra string to his bow. 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 groundstrokes,” he added.
Taylor Fritz Defeated Carlos Alcaraz at Laver Cup To Guide Team World To 3rd Title
Taylor Fritz, meanwhile, trails both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner by a margin of 1-4 in their respective head-to-head records on the ATP Tour. While Fritz’s last win over Sinner came at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters, he beat Alcaraz a month ago at the 2025 Laver Cup. The American made quick work of the Spaniard, beating him 6-3, 6-2 on Day 2 of the team event.
Fritz’s heroics ultimately secured the Laver Cup title for Team World, as they overcame Team Europe to win their third title, following their victories in 2022 and 2024. The 27-year-old has racked 50 wins for 19 losses on the ATP Tour this year.
The highlights of his 2025 season include winning titles in Stuttgart and Eastbourne, finishing runner-up in Tokyo, and reaching the semifinals and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the US Open, respectively.