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I have some thoughts about that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

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 world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {