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I possess a few thoughts about the comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {