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I possess a few thoughts about that comments made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, 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 appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing 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 the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {