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I have some opinions regarding the remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world in succession. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender 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 just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up 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 had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {