🔗 Share this article

I possess some opinions regarding the comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

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

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {