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I have some thoughts regarding that comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared 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 now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {