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I have a few opinions about the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired 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 putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {