🔗 Share this article

I possess some thoughts about the remarks made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

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

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {