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I have some thoughts regarding the comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to 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 virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {