🔗 Share this article

I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed 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 claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {