🔗 Share this article

I have some opinions about that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace 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 limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer 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 breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {