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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

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

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. 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 steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender 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 thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {