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I possess a few opinions regarding the comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat 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 have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {