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I have a few opinions about that comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {