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I have some thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men 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 magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon 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 sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• 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 accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {