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I possess some opinions regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of American men winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American 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 nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {