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I possess a few thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Division

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {