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I have a few opinions regarding that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge 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 nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {