🔗 Share this article

I have some thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five 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 other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest 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 appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared 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 failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {