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I possess some thoughts regarding that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {