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I have a few opinions regarding that comments made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, 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 grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, 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 earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed 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 developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist 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 dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {