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I possess some opinions about that comments delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {