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I have a few opinions about the remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom 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 harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {