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I have some thoughts about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest 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 worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, 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, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {