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I possess some thoughts about the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged 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 aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful 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. {