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I possess some opinions about the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players 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.

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

The American's performance in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {