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I have a few thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged 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 highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, 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 seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {