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I possess some thoughts about the remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth 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 too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {