🔗 Share this article

I have a few thoughts regarding the comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are more than enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement 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 soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected improvements 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 approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, 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 worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result 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 version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. 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 tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {