Taylor Fritz has powered his way into another round at Wimbledon! After grinding through two matches without a break, he charged into Round 3 to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Unlike his first two opponents, who dragged him into five-set marathons, Fokina challenged him with longer sets. The first two sets, both in Fritz’s favor, stretched nearly two hours each. But in the end, the American triumphed 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1. Now, Fritz stands as one of only two U.S. players left in the tournament alongside Ben Shelton. What’s he doing differently that stars like Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula didn’t?
After closing out the match, which pushed his total sets played to 14, Fritz was brimming with confidence. He’s proving to be a true grass-court maestro. With five career titles, including two on grass in Eastbourne and Stuttgart, it’s clear he’s comfortable on this tricky surface. But what exactly fuels his grass-court success?
In his on-court interview, Fritz shared his mindset: “I think there’s lots of parts of my game that work well on it, but it is nice to play. I guess, quicker points, get rewards when I want to pull the trigger on a ball, take a chance. I love the fact that I get rewarded for going for some risky shots and I can play aggressive.” That aggressive edge might be what set him apart from his American peers, who exited early.
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 8, 2024 Taylor Fritz of the U.S. celebrates after winning his fourth round match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev REUTERS/Isabel Infantes
On Tuesday, the No. 2 seed suffered a stunning upset at the hands of Dayana Yastremska. The 2025 French Open champion was outplayed by world No. 42 Yastremska, who cruised to a straight-sets 7-6 (7-3), 6-1 victory, leaving the crowd stunned. Along with Coco, big names like Jessica Pegula and Frances Tiafoe also bowed out in the early rounds.
But not Taylor Fritz! After tough five-setters in his first two matches, he looked fresh and in control under Centre Court’s sunny skies. He raced to a two-set lead and even served for the match in the third set. That’s when his usually reliable serve faltered. Davidovich Fokina pounced, converting a key breakpoint and snatching the third set in a tense tiebreak.
Fueled by confidence, the Spaniard seemed ready to turn the match around. But Fritz, calm and composed as ever, quickly regained control. He dominated the fourth set, breaking Davidovich Fokina three times to seal the win. With that, Fritz booked his spot in the last 16. Has he made changes that helped him pull through?
Taylor Fritz reveals how he adjusted on grass
On Tuesday, Fritz wrapped up his match against Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in thrilling fashion after their contest was suspended the night before. The match ended with a stunning 6-7 (6), 6-7 (8), 6-4, 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory for Fritz, who showed incredible resilience against the big-serving 6-foot-8 Frenchman. Early on Monday, Mpetshi Perricard blasted a 153 mph serve—the fastest ever recorded at Wimbledon, breaking the previous record of 148 mph set by Taylor Dent in 2010.
Fritz managed to return that blazing serve and even won the point with a forehand volley. He later joked about it, saying, “The funny thing is, I always tell my coaches (when) they sometimes say maybe I should try to serve (into the) body … (that) I think body serves are awful. I never win the point when I do it.”
He added with a laugh, “And I sent the video (of the 153 mph serve) to my coach, saying: ‘There you go. He served the fastest serve in the history of Wimbledon right into my chest, and I won the point, so there’s your proof: Body serves are bad.’” His performance in R1 was so impressive, even former American WTA star Lindsay Davenport was in awe!
Though Fritz stumbled in the first round at the French Open last month, grass courts clearly suit him better. The slick surface amplifies the power in his big serve and forehand. He reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in both 2022 and last year and just clinched his fourth Eastbourne Open title on grass last week. “This is a huge, huge week for me, with the recent results on grass. So I was thinking about that in this match,” Fritz said. “It put a lot of pressure on me, because I really didn’t want to go out in the first round.”
Now, as Taylor Fritz gears up to face Jordan Thompson in the next round, the question is whether he can channel his free-spirited energy on grass and keep the momentum going. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Meanwhile, stay tuned for all the latest action from SW19 on the EssentiallySports Live Blog!
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