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I have a few opinions regarding the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz 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 Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {