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I have some thoughts about the comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past 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 divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three 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 in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

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

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {