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I have some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, 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 serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {