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I have a few thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he 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 previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. 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 steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {