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I possess some thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said 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 world in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {