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I have a few thoughts regarding the comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {