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I have some thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic 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 make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {