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I have some opinions regarding that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are more than enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. 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 win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats 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 serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {