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I have a few thoughts about the remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, 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, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He 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 steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {