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I possess a few thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired 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 three best competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting 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 appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly 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 even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {