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I possess some thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the top three players in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. 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 in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {