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I have a few opinions about that comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {