🔗 Share this article

I possess some thoughts about the comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {