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I possess some opinions about the comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. 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 Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork 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 against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {