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I possess a few opinions about that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to 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 doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {