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I have a few thoughts about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, 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 suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply 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 July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon 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 a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {