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I possess some thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

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

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler 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 departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a major. 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 actually highly unlikely for all other players. {