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I possess some thoughts about the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz 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 competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, 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 mentioning the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – 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 drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {