🔗 Share this article

I possess a few thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

The American's performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {