🔗 Share this article

I have a few opinions about the comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {