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I have a few opinions regarding the comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, 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 Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {