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I possess a few thoughts about the comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected 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. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {