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I possess a few opinions regarding the remarks made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service 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 effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {