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I have a few thoughts about that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing match points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for all other players. {