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I have some opinions about the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up 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 he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably 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: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, 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 compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {