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I have a few thoughts about the remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. 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 suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes 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 actually highly unlikely for all other players. {