🔗 Share this article

I have a few thoughts regarding the comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly improbable for all other players. {