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I have some opinions regarding that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships 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 right now, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz 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 win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told 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 young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {