🔗 Share this article

I possess a few opinions about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person 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 sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {