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I have some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on each front side and backhand 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 years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe 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 hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {