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I possess some opinions about the comments made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {