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I have a few thoughts regarding the comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the world in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

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

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, 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 appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz 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 may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {