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I possess some thoughts about that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, 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 versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, 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 unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing match points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {