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I possess some thoughts regarding that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {