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I have some thoughts about that comments delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP 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 shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {