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I possess some thoughts about that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory 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 hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {