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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, 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 versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {