🔗 Share this article

I have some thoughts regarding that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. 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 typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, 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. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {