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I have some opinions regarding the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {