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I have a few opinions regarding the comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including 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 appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of American men lifting grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {