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I possess some opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. 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 the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. 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 empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {