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I possess some thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {