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I possess some thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final 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 ranked number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. 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 elite serve and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many 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 did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {