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I have a few thoughts about the remarks delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title 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 really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run 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 indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {