Taylor Fritz has told Tennis365 that he believes he is closing the gap on Carlos Alcaraz after his stunning win against the Spaniard at the Laver Cup, as he predicted 2026 could be the year that sees him claim a first Grand Slam title.
Speaking exclusively to this website at the Six Kings Slam event in Saudi Arabia, the world No 4 reflected on a solid year of form that saw him cement his position among the elite names at the top of the men’s game, yet the Grand Slam title he craves is still proving to be elusive as Alcaraz and his big rival Jannik Sinner continue to dominate in the sport’s biggest events.
Fritz is leading the chasing pack aiming to end Alcaraz and Sinner’s run of Grand Slam wins and he believes his time could come soon.
After an impressive win against Alcaraz in the Laver Cup last month, Fritz also pushed the Spaniard all the way as they met in the ATP 500 final in Tokyo and he has taken confidence from those matches.
“Whether it is beating somebody or get to a certain point in a tournament, when you do something once, it feels a lot easier to do again and again,” Fritz told Tennis365.
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“It definitely helps (to get the win against Alcaraz). I played a great match and it gives me a clear outline, I guess, of what I need to do and what I can do to make it work.
“They are two incredible players (Sinner and Alcaraz). They push me to keep improving and become a better player to try and compete with them.
“When I played Carlos at the Laver Cup in the previous year, he played well and just felt like there was nothing I could do. I had no chance.
EXCLUSIVE – World No 4 Taylor Fritz talks to Tennis365 ahead of the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia #Fritz #6KingsSlam pic.twitter.com/c3WKcOz74q
— Tennis365 (@tennis365com) October 14, 2025
“This year at the Laver Cup and in the finals in Tokyo, I felt like the level was much closer and I feel like I have got a lot closer.”
Fritz struggled in the opening half of 2025, but he loaded back to form in recent weeks and is ending the year convinced his first Grand Slam title is closer than ever.
“If you look back to where I was half way through the season when we finished on the clay courts, to be where I am now I would have taken it,” he added. “I was having a rough year. Not playing my best, sometimes injured. The second half of the year was great.
“I feel like the Grand Slam can come at any time. It’s just about things aligning for those two weeks. The level is there for me when I play my best tennis. It just needs to fall into place over two weeks.”
HOW TO WATCH THE SIX KINGS SLAM
Netflix will broadcast live the Six Kings Slam, the highly anticipated tennis event from Riyadh Season that brings together six of the best players on the ATP circuit.
All matches will begin at 9:30am PT / 12:30pm ET / 5:30pm BST / 6:30pm CET.
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, October 15
Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
Alexander Zverev (GER) vs Taylor Fritz (USA)
Semifinals – Thursday, October 16
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs Zverev (GER) or Fritz (USA)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Sinner (ITA) or Tsitsipas (GRE)
Final / Third-Place match – Saturday, October 18
Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2
Loser of Semifinal 1 vs Loser of Semifinal 2