🔗 Share this article

I possess some opinions regarding the comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past 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 previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {