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I have some opinions about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, 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 drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. 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 sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American 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 tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, 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 the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {