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I possess some thoughts about that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

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

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {