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I possess some opinions about that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie 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 ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. 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 sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been 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 lifting grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended 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 having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {