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I possess some opinions regarding the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {