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I have some thoughts about the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

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

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not 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 anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {