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I possess some thoughts about that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star 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, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {