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I have a few thoughts about the comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

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

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. 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 drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {