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I have some thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian 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 only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {