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I possess some thoughts about the comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected 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. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {