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I have a few opinions regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person 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 this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might 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 lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {