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I have some opinions regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought 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 placed number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly 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 even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American'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 saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {