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I possess some opinions regarding the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot 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 ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted 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 reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for all other players. {