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I have some opinions regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The last several years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {