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I possess some opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

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

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just 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 last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle 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 the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {