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I have some thoughts about that comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far 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 reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June 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 reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {