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I have a few thoughts regarding the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought 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 last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the chance to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {