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I have some opinions regarding that comments delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won 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 it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {