🔗 Share this article

I have a few thoughts regarding that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {