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I possess a few opinions regarding the remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

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

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {