🔗 Share this article

I possess a few thoughts regarding the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one 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 enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion 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: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American informed an interviewer 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 objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually highly improbable for all other players. {