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I have some opinions about that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. 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 climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {