🔗 Share this article

I have a few opinions about the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

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

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches 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 at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler 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 American men lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {