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I have a few opinions regarding that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

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

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive power on both front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement 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 soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {