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I have some opinions about the comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• 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 indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {