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I have some thoughts about that comments made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest 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 ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {