🔗 Share this article

I have some thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom he 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 dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience 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 achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {