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I have a few thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. 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 survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• 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 indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {