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I have some opinions about that remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend 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 survived 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 last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five 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 other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

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