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I have some thoughts about that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic 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 someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the world in succession. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably 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 lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {