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I possess a few opinions regarding the remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over No 3 the German 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 far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {