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I have a few opinions about that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

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

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {