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I have a few thoughts about that comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (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 liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 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 subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify 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 unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {