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I have some opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful strength on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, extending 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 immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. 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 suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {