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I have a few opinions about the comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he 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 he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on each front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. 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 upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round 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 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 putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {