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I possess some opinions regarding the remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {