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I have a few opinions about the comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

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

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for all other players. {