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I possess a few thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy 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. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

The American's play in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {