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I possess some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz 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 fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {