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I have some thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {