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I possess a few thoughts about that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, 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 dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

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
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {