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I have some opinions regarding the remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was 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 ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {