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I have some opinions regarding the comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {