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I possess a few thoughts about that remarks made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {