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I have a few opinions about that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith 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?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {