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I possess a few thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. He 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 controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {