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I possess some thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on 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 suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {