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I possess a few thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {