American tennis star Taylor Fritz booked his spot into the Wimbledon semifinals on Tuesday, and believes he is one of the players to beat at this year's grass court Grand Slam tournament.
The fourth seed stopped a late comeback from Russian Karen Khachanov, overpowering his opponent to record a 6-3 6-4 1-6 7-6(4) victory. Fritz has been in great form during the grass court season, successfully defending his Eastbourne title just two weeks ago.
The California native was in good spirits after his win over Khachanov. In addition to being one of the dark horses to win the tournament, Fritz believes his current form during the grass court season puts him on the same level as the likes of World No.1 Jannik Sinner and two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
"Grass is a surface that levels the playing field a lot," began Fritz during his post-match press conference. "I believe I am closer to the best, like Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic, here at Wimbledon 2025 than in Roland Garros, for example. I know that if I play like I did today in the first two sets, no one can do much against me.
"Having already played several quarterfinals of Grand Slam tournaments gives me a lot of confidence to face situations of maximum competitive stress. I have learned not to place too much importance on the result, which helps me bring out my best level. But the key is that I am a much better tennis player than I was two years ago."
Fritz stunned hometown favorite Alexander Zverev to win the Boss Open title last month. The 27-year old would go on to capture his fourth title at Eastbourne, before kicking off his Wimbledon campaign with two consecutive five-set wins. Nonetheless, Fritz will face his greatest challenge yet, as he takes on defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in their semifinal clash on Friday.
Carlos Alcaraz easily beats Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semifinals at #Wimbledon for a 3rd consecutive year.
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 8, 2025
8th career Grand Slam semifinals in 18 Grand Slam played.
23 consecutive wins
19 consecutive Wimbledon wins
34-3 career on Grass
Gets Fritz on Friday pic.twitter.com/Xp4rzmpyER
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