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I possess some thoughts about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players 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.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

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

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator 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 slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {