🔗 Share this article

I have a few opinions about the remarks made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {