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I possess some opinions regarding that comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should 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 few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit 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 had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {