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I have a few opinions regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the achievement; 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 on the brain?

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

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

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

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {