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I possess some thoughts about the comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived 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 divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

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

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics 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 ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible 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 effort to win it. Down set points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {