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I have a few opinions regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world 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 might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist 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 overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {