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I have a few thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, he invoked the continued drought 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 final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {