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I have some opinions about that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point 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 promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {