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I possess a few opinions regarding the remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming 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 Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive power on both forehand 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, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {