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I possess some opinions regarding the comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev 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 high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming 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’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz 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 Fritz finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {