🔗 Share this article

I possess a few opinions about the comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, he invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {