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I have some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {