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I possess some opinions about the remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the continued absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

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

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles 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 too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {