Former Wimbledon Winner on Taylor Fritz: He’s Lacking A Bit To Reach The Next Level

With the Madrid Open in full swing, we once more caught up with a former tennis superstar. The former Wimbledon winner, Frederik Løchte Nielsen, gave his opinions on some of the American players currently competing in the European clay season. 

The Dane talked about teenage sensation Darwin Blanch, who went up against one of the GOATs, Rafael Nadal, how Taylor Fritz is a top player but hasn’t made enough progress, and lastly on what his expectations is for Ben Shelton playing on the European Clay. 

If you plan on placing a bet on some of all the tennis happening currently, don't forget to use our exclusive Bet365 bonus code.

Below you’ll find the transcript of the interview we conducted with Frederik Løchte Nielsen:

Rafael Nadal played against Darwin Blanch in the opening rounds of Madrid Open. How familiar are you with the American teenager, and what is your opinion on him?

"I know him a bit. I saw him at the (Junior) French Open last year and caught him on TV playing in Miami, where he also got a Wild Card.

"There's no doubt he's a young talent, very raw, but with a lot of upside. He lives in Spain, so he's used to playing on clay and facing top players. I think he trains at an academy with Carlos Alcaraz, so he's used to practicing with him occasionally.

"Darwin Blanch isn't your typical American breaking into the European clay scene, but he's still too raw to compete with the likes of Rafael Nadal.

"He's an exciting player with a lot of potential. He seems like a good guy. You could see in his previous matches that he has a lot of potential, but also that his lack of experience and inconsistency has caused him to fluctuate a bit."

Have you seen any development in Taylor Fritz's game that makes him relevant on the big stage?

"I don't think he's taken any significant steps forward compared to where he's been the last couple of years. He's been competitive for the past few years, and he is a top player. 

"He won Indian Wells a couple of years ago and is one of those who can beat all the best players in the world.

"The kind of matches he had against Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open are the ones he needs to win in order to take the next step. He's competitive and tough. He plays good tennis. But before I see him as a real threat to the other top players, especially in Grand Slams, I feel like there needs to be a result in one of the big tournaments. At some point, it has to happen, but I don't see there being a significant development. It's been the same for a few years. Quite high quality and able to compete with them all, but he's lacking a bit to reach the next level."

How do you see Ben Shelton's chances of performing well on clay?

"He's such a raw player with a good attitude. With his serve, he can compete on all surfaces. He doesn't need to win the French Open to be considered part of the world's elite, but he should be competitive.

"The number of players he could lose to is probably greater on clay than on other surfaces, and the top level might also be lower on clay, but that doesn't mean he can't be competitive. Especially because of his good attitude and fantastic serve, along with a fairly uncompromising game, which can take the ball out of many players' rackets.

"His kick serve is absolutely insane. It's a problem for players who aren't used to facing a left-handed kick serve, where the ball bounces the wrong way. The problem with a left-hander who can kick serve is that they have a slice out wide to one's backhand. So to cover that, you have to be prepared for a crazy amount of things, which is a huge advantage for him."