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I have a few opinions regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement 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 playing a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped 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 actually extremely improbable for all other players. {