Tim Henman rates Taylor Fritz's chances of beating Carlos Alcaraz in upcoming Wimbledon semi-final

Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed that the lineup for the first men’s singles semi-final at Wimbledon this year against Taylor Fritz.

Fritz has been compared to Andre Agassi after he beat Karen Khachanov in four sets to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final.

The American took a comfortable two set lead before Khachanov took the third set in emphatic fashion, something that Fritz said he had never experienced before.

It was a more comfortable quarter-final victory for Alcaraz, who was full of praise for Fritz after beating Cameron Norrie in straight sets.

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Tim Henman says what he thinks Taylor Fritz’s chances are against Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon

Speaking about the upcoming semi-final on the BBC, former world number four Tim Henman was asked how much of a chance he gave Fritz against Alcaraz.

Despite Alcaraz being on a 23-match winning streak, Henman believes that Fritz has what it takes to challenge the two-time defending Wimbledon champion.

“He is not going to be overawed by the situation,” Henman said about Fritz. “When you talk about that match up he has got weapons that can hurt Alcaraz.

“He has a massive first serve, from the back of the court he can do damage off both wings. He does not like to move forward so much which is always a good way of finishing points at the net. But certainly he will go on the court believing that he can beat Alcaraz in the semi-finals.”

Fritz will be looking to forget his two previous meetings against Alcaraz, both of which he lost in straight sets.

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However, this will be the first time that Fritz has played Alcaraz on a grass court.

Year Tournament Result 2023 Miami Open Alcaraz beat Fritz, 6-4 6-2 2024 Laver Cup Alcaraz beat Fritz, 6-2 7-5

Tim Henman praises Taylor Fritz’s grass court game ahead of Wimbledon semi-final

Henman knows what it takes to reach a Wimbledon semi-final, having reached four in his career.

However, he was never able to reach the final, something that Fritz will be looking to use his weapons against Alcaraz to achieve.

One of Fritz’s biggest weapons is his serve, which he certainly utilised against Khachanov after hitting 16 aces and winning 81% of his points on first serve.

This is something that Henman continued to speak about Fritz, as he praised his overall grass court game.

“First and foremost he is a tall guy,” said Henman. “He is 6ft 4inch and can hit the four corners very well. He has the disguise. On both sides he is able to generate a lot of power, he flattens out the forehand well.

“So Fritz has been a great grass court player for a long time. He had that epic battle against Rafa Nadal and Nadal had to pull out so Fritz to break that duck of getting to the semi-finals, after the two quarter-finals [defeats], he will be delighted about that and he won’t want to stop. He has been in a Grand Slam final before and he wants to get back there.”

It has been an impressive grass court season for Fritz, who has won two ATP titles on the surface this year and is now looking to reach his second Grand Slam final.

Fritz will now have two days to prepare for his semi-final with Alcaraz, which will take place on Friday, July 11.

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