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I have a few opinions about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning 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 too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {