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I have some thoughts regarding that comments delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {