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I possess some thoughts regarding that remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point 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 upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest 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 appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect 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.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed decided 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 the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {