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I possess a few opinions about that comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator 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 slump of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {