🔗 Share this article

I possess a few thoughts regarding that comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, 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 winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {