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I have some thoughts regarding the comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement 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 typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including 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 continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning 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 reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {