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I have some opinions regarding that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, 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 serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {