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I have some opinions regarding the remarks made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world in succession. He is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men 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 magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {