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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {