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I have some thoughts regarding that comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked 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 is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly improbable for all other players. {