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I have a few thoughts about the remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s 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 coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {