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I have a few opinions about that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, 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 thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest 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 worth commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed 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 developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {