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I possess a few opinions about that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful power on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for all other players. {