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I have some thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning 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 young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {