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I have some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived 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 split the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American 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
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {