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I possess a few opinions regarding that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, 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 winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {