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I possess some opinions about that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive effort to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {