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I have some opinions about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was 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 drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {