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I possess some thoughts regarding that remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in press following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain 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. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {