🔗 Share this article

I have a few opinions about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, 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 appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might 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 those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {