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I possess some opinions regarding that comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one 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 enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. 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 in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {