🔗 Share this article

I possess some opinions about the comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star 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 defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {