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I have some opinions regarding the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The last several years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn 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 share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {