"I'm going to give gamblers some hope" - Jim Courier reveals unusual reason as he picks Taylor Fritz to beat Carlos Alcaraz in Wimbledon SF

Former player Jim Courier picked Taylor Fritz over Carlos Alcaraz as the likely winner of the Wimbledon semifinals, reasoning that he would like to help the gamblers place big bets. Fritz defeated Karen Khachanov to reach the semifinals while Alcaraz battled past Cameron Norris.

Fritz has had mixed results in the 2025 season so far, winning the BOSS Open and Lexus Eastbourne Open titles but ending his French Open run in the first round, besides a few more underwhelming campaigns. The American No. 1 will now go head-on with the reigning French Open champion, Carlos Alcaraz, one of the most formidable players on tour currently, ranked at No. 2.

Ahead of the clash, Jim Courier joined the likes of fellow Tennis Channel analysts, Prakash Amritraj, Lindsay Davenport, and Brett Haber to discuss who they think would likely win the semifinals between Fritz and Alcaraz. Courier bluntly picked Fritz as the probable winner and joked that his decision would help gamblers have big hopes.

"Taylor Fritz. I'm going against the grain. Most people are going to certainly go in the other direction, but I'm going to give all you gamblers out there some hope if you want to put that big money on Taylor. I'm just trying to help the gamblers."

Alcaraz, who had back-to-back wins at the Italian Open, French Open, and the Queen's Club Championships, will look to add the sixth Grand Slam title to his resume. His semifinal win at Queen's was his 250th tour-level victory, making him the third-fastest man to achieve such a feat in the Open Era.

Taylor Fritz made his feelings known about facing Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon semifinals

Taylor Fritz at the Championships - Wimbledon 2025 - (Source: Getty)

Taylor Fritz is vying for his debut Grand Slam title, while Alcaraz will go for his sixth. In a post-quarterfinal press conference, the former jokingly thanked his universe for not having to face the Spaniard on clay. However, he confidently stated that his progression in the match against Khachanov made him believe that he can be a threat to any opponent.

"Well if it's him (Alcaraz in the semis), I'm happy that we're not playing at the French Open on clay with the French Open balls because that would be an absolute nightmare," Fritz said.

"I think grass is very much so an equalizer, can be an equalizer, so trust in how I'm playing and I truly know the way I played the first two sets today, there's not much any opponent on the other side can do," he added.

Fritz amassed ten ATP Tour singles titles and made it to the finals of the 2024 US Open and the Tour Finals that year.