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I have a few opinions regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. 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, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived 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 split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The last several years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted 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 reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, 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 grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {