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I possess some thoughts about that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing 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 number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. 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 was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {