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I have some thoughts regarding that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably 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: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much 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 double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {