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I possess a few thoughts regarding the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won 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 come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to 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 American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {