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I possess a few opinions regarding that comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {