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I possess some thoughts about that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {