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I have some thoughts regarding that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz 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 Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

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

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {