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I have some opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim 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 secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {