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I possess some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, 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 appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {