🔗 Share this article

I possess some opinions regarding the comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {