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I possess some opinions about the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend 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, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

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

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {