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I have some opinions regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {