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I possess some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match 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

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {