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I possess a few thoughts about that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around 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 maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation 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 play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments 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 looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {