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I possess some opinions about the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

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

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement 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 playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought 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 respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {