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I possess some thoughts about that remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. 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 controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {