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I possess a few thoughts regarding that comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining 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 mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for all other players. {