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I possess some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {