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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on both front side and backhand are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {