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I possess some thoughts regarding the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging 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 exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {