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I possess a few opinions about the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing 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 last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace 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 win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {