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I possess a few thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those 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 would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {