Alcaraz and Fritz build a fierce 2025 rivalry
Four high-stakes meetings transformed a lopsided head-to-head into a tense duel of strategies and resilience, captivating fans from grass courts to year-end finals.
In the waning days of 2025, ATPTour.com’s our annual ‘Best Of’ series highlights the rivalries that pulsed through the season. The encounters between Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz emerged as a compelling saga, evolving from sparse history into a series of gripping battles across tennis’s grandest stages. What started with just two prior meetings ballooned into four tour-level clashes, each demanding fresh tactical layers and mental steel amid the roar of packed arenas.
Wimbledon semis strain winning streaks
At Wimbledon, the semi-finals hummed with pressure as Alcaraz arrived on a 24-match winning streak, his grass-court prowess unchallenged. Fritz countered with nine straight victories, fresh from an Eastbourne title that honed his serve on the slick surface. Centre Court’s tension peaked in the fourth-set tie-break, where the Spaniard faced two set points at 4-6 but unleashed four straight points to claim a 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6) win and his third consecutive final spot.
Alcaraz controlled the baseline with crosscourt precision and timely drop shots, his second serve booming to push Fritz back. The American’s inside-out forehands tested returns, but errors crept in during clutch moments, like the forehand wide on his second set point at 6-5. Fritz’s quest for a first victory over his rival stretched on, the grass’s low bounce amplifying Alcaraz’s net advances and the crowd’s swelling cheers.
“The three times I had played Carlos, he had broken me in the first game every time,” said Fritz. “Getting out of that first game was huge. I just made sure I didn’t second guess myself.”
Laver Cup delivers Fritz’s bold win
Months later, the Laver Cup in San Francisco flipped the script for Fritz. He dismantled Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2, securing his maiden head-to-head triumph in four attempts and boosting Team World. The indoor hard court’s speed suited his aggressive baseline game, where he converted 16 of 20 net points to stifle the Spaniard’s counters.
A key hold in the opening game repelled the only two break points Fritz faced all match, breaking a pattern of early concessions. He then reeled off the last four games of the second set, his one–two serves setting up down-the-line forehands that pulled Alcaraz off balance. The team event’s supportive energy contrasted Wimbledon’s isolation, fueling Fritz’s fearlessness and injecting fresh doubt into the rivalry’s dynamic.
Tokyo revenge and Turin survival
Nine days after San Francisco, the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships final in Tokyo saw Alcaraz strike back with a 6-4, 6-4 clinic on outdoor hard courts. Despite an ankle scare in his opener, he overwhelmed Fritz in 93 minutes, mixing heavy topspin with underspin slices to disrupt movement. The American’s thigh injury, treated after the first set and strapped by the second game’s third point, dulled his lateral shifts and dashed hopes of repeating his 2022 title.
Alcaraz’s crosscourt winners pinned Fritz deep, his firepower unrelenting as the Tokyo humidity thickened the air. The victory bolstered the World No. 1’s ranking while highlighting his recovery from physical setbacks.
“I’m really happy with the level that I played, with everything,” said Alcaraz. “Starting the week not good with the ankle, and the way that I came back from that, I’m just really happy about it.”
The season’s finale at the Nitto ATP Finals round robin in Turin produced their sharpest duel, Alcaraz edging a 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 escape. Fritz dominated early with baseline bombs, snatching the first set and two break points at 2-2 in the second after 90 minutes of control. Yet the Spaniard flipped the momentum, his returns stepping in to seize offensive edges on the indoor hard court.
A 19-shot rally crystallized the shift on Fritz’s first break chance, where Alcaraz charged forward for a backhand volley winner after the American let the ball bounce instead of overheading it. That 14-minute hold drained Fritz’s upset push, paving Alcaraz’s path to a clean third set amid Turin’s charged atmosphere. The match’s mental grind left both players sharper, their rivalry now a proving ground for 2026’s pursuits.
“I was really relieved after the win because of everything I went through during the match,” said Alcaraz. “I wasn’t feeling the ball as well as I was in the first [match], but I’m really happy that I found a way to come back.”
These four clashes—from Wimbledon’s grass drama to hard-court intensity—wove a narrative of adaptation and grit. Fritz’s Laver Cup surge challenged Alcaraz’s aura, only for the Spaniard to respond with Tokyo’s dominance and Turin’s tenacity. As they head into the next year, this matchup’s tactical depth and emotional stakes promise even fiercer exchanges on the tour.
