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I possess a few thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {