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I possess a few thoughts about that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement 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 drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {