Wimbledon 2021: Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz preview, head-to-head & prediction

Match details

Fixture: (4) Alexander Zverev vs (31) Taylor Fritz

Date: 3 July 2021

Tournament: The Championships, Wimbledon

Round: Third round (Round of 32)

Venue: London, Great Britain

Category: Grand Slam

Surface: Grass

Prize money: £17,066,000.

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel & ESPN | UK - BBC TV & Radio | India - Star Sports / Disney+ Hotstar VIP.

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Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz preview

Fourth seed Alexander Zverev will meet 31st seed Taylor Fritz in the Wimbledon third round on Saturday.

Zverev has had a strong start to his campaign at the grasscourt Major, winning his first two matches without dropping a set. He beat Tallon Griekspoor in his tournament opener and Tennys Sandgren in the second round.

Fresh off a maiden Grand Slam final appearance at the US Open last year, the German has won 26 of his 36 matches this year, including titles at Acapulco and Madrid. Zverev has done reasonably well at the Majors this year too, reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and semifinals at Roland Garros.

Third round bound 💪@AlexZverev defeats Tennys Sandgren 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 as his good form continues #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/V4FaaYnEvZ

— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2021

Taylor Fritz, meanwhile has dropped three sets en route his first third-round appearance at Wimbledon.

The 23-year-old needed four and five sets, respectively, to see off compatriots Brandon Nakashima and Steve Johnson. This is far better than what most would have expected from Fritz though, given that he underwent knee surgery just three weeks ago.

The American is 15-10 for the season, having made the semifinals in Doha and Cagliari and taken eventual winner Novak Djokovic to five sets at the Australian Open.

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Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz head-to-head

Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz have met thrice on the tour, with Zverev leading the head-to-head 2-1. In their only Grand Slam match - the second round at Wimbledon three years ago - the German beat Fritz in five sets.

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Alexander Zverev vs Taylor Fritz prediction

Taylor Fritz is into the third round at Wimbledon for the first time.

There is a wide gulf in the big-match experience of Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz. While Zverev has been a regular at the business end of Grand Slams since the 2020 Australian Open, Fritz has never been past the third round at a Major.

Both Zverev (6' 6") and Fritz (6' 4") have games conducive to success on grass; they serve big, have powerful groundstrokes and move well for their height. But the German arrived at Wimbledon in better shape, and has looked in good touch through the first two rounds.

Zvevev has both served and returned well this week, and has shown an increased willingness to win points at the net.

While Fritz's lone career singles title has come on grass (Eastbourne 2019), the 23-year-old's movement appears suspect following his knee surgery. While Fritz showed a lot of grit and character to see off Johnson in five sets, Zverev might be a bridge too far for the American.

Taylor Fritz has no shortage of grit. Just fought through a five-setter over fellow American Steve Johnson to reach the third round of Wimbledon. Had knee surgery last month after being wheeled off court at the French OpenThe man must truly love tennis#getty pic.twitter.com/DPpTtmuiWR

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) July 1, 2021

Fritz might be able to take a set or two off Zverev, but is unlikely to reach his first fourth round at a Major at the expense of the German.

Prediction: Alexander Zverev to win in four sets.