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I have a few thoughts about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. 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 could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {