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I have a few thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

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

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he believed 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 anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {