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I possess a few opinions regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players 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 tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American 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 sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator 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 lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {