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I possess a few thoughts about the comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: 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 narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins 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 dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {