🔗 Share this article

I have some opinions regarding the comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive power on both front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements 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 top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator 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 US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, 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 service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {