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I possess some thoughts about the comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow 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 divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never 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 peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {