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I have some opinions regarding that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting 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 the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz 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 press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {