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I possess a few opinions regarding the comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. 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 playing a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up 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 achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {