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I possess a few opinions regarding the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {