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I possess some thoughts about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

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

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins 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 other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {