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I possess a few opinions regarding that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion 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 indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• 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 indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for all other players. {