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I possess a few thoughts about the remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth 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 could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Division

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {