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I possess some opinions about the comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well justified 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 sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {