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I possess a few thoughts about the remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, 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 commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• 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 do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {