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I have a few thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {