US Male Major Title Drought Is Not Taylor Fritz's Responsibility to Carry

I have some thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he 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.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {