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I have a few thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he 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 final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, 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 fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity 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 legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, 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 circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {