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I possess a few opinions about the comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {