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I possess some opinions regarding that comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented 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 athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

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

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork 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 soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {