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I have a few opinions regarding that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, 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 appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {