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I possess some thoughts about that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men 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 competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final 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, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging 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 worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {