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I possess a few thoughts regarding the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler 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 love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming 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 the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {