🔗 Share this article

I possess a few thoughts about that remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing match points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, 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 tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly improbable for all other players. {