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I possess some thoughts about that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may 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 problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {