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I possess a few thoughts regarding that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, 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 Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, 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 drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {