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I possess a few thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. 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 previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals 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’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator 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 lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run 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 game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {