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I have a few thoughts about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {