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I possess some opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic 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 compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for all other players. {