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I have some thoughts about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both front side and backhand are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {