🔗 Share this article

I possess some opinions about the comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz 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 regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {