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I possess some thoughts about that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite 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 hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing match points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands 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 all other players. {