🔗 Share this article American Men's Major Title Drought Is Not Fritz's Responsibility to Carry I possess some opinions regarding that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament. Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat 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 have faith in themselves. But entering 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 Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside. The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little. The American star made a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer. The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries. The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient 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 win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could. Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.) Year-End Championships: Player Divisions Jimmy Connors Group The Spanish phenom The American contender The Australian speedster The Italian stylist Bjorn Borg Division The Italian champion Alexander Zverev (Ger) The rising American The Canadian talent “I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {