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I have some thoughts about the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {