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I possess some opinions about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement 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 drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

The American's performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {