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I have some thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly seem 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 athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, 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 seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {