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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {