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I possess a few thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {