"Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul could be factors at Wimbledon" - John McEnroe's brother Patrick
John McEnroe's brother Patrick has analyzed the chances of top American players Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul and Frances Tiafoe at the upcoming Wimbledon Championships.
With Novak Djokovic's historic French Open win marking the end of the claycourt swing, the tennis world now turns its attention to the grass season, starting with the Boss Open in Stuttgart and the Libema Open in the Netherlands.
Patrick McEnroe emphasized the possibility of the American players performing well on grass. He included the likes of Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul in his argument and predicted that the trio should be able to make an impact at the iconic Wimbledon Major.
"You got three Americans in the top 16, all three of those guys could be factors at Wimbledon," Patrick McEnroe said. "I’ll see them playing this week on grass, I expect to see a couple of those guys in the second week at wimbledon that means fourth round onwards. There's a good chance for one or two of them to go deep."
performed on grass in 2022: As we move through the 2023 grass season, here’s a reminder of how each 🇺🇸 performed on grass in 2022:
Taylor Fritz 8-3
Tommy Paul 7-4
Brandon Nakashima 6-3
John Isner 4-2
Frances Tiafoe 3-3
Mackie McDonald 3-4
Marcos Giron 3-4
Sebi Korda 1-2
Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe will begin their grass court season on the back of third-round exits at the French Open. Meanwhile, Tommy Paul exited Paris in the second round. The trio are currently competing at the 2023 Boss Open in Stuttgart.
Expectations will be high for Fritz after his title-winning run at the 2022 Eastbourne International and a quarterfinal appearance at Wimbledon last year. The 25-year-old pushed former World No. 1 Rafael Nadal to the limit but couldn't outlast the Spaniard in a closely contested match-up.
Tommy Paul also made quarterfinal appearances at the Eastbourne International and the Queens Club Championships last year. He will be looking for redemption after a mediocre claycourt swing.
Apart from the three players, Patrick also mentioned that 2022 Adelaide International finalist Sebastian Korda would be in the mix for the Wimbledon Championships. He stated that he wasn't sure about their chances on clay but expects them to well on other surfaces.
"One of the messages I got on Twitter was what was the deal with the American men on clay?" Patrick McEnroe said. "I answered that I don't expect too much at Roland Garros and on the clay. Those three guys plus Korde coming up, they can all be in the mix at the other Majors but not at the French, still not seeing it on the clay."
Taylor Fritz to clash with Aslan Karatsev, Tommy Paul to face Jan-Lennard Struff in second round of Boss Open
While Taylor Fritz will take on Aslan Karatsev, fellow American Tommy Paul will lock horns with Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round of the Boss Open on Thursday.
Fritz and Karatsev have never faced each other on the main tour before. On the other hand, Paul leads the head-to-head 4-0 against Jan-Lennard Struff. Paul defeated Struff most recently at the Indian Wells Masters.
The Americans will be looking to prepare well ahead of the grasscourt Major and utilize the opportunity to build momentum in the events before Wimbledon.
While Fritz will look to use his towering serve and powerful baseline game against the Russian Karatsev, Paul will want to make sure his defensive game is on song against Struff. The American is coming off a solid win against Benjamin Bonzi 6-3, 6-4.
If Fritz and Paul advance to the next round and keep their run alive at the Boss Open, they could face off in the finals.