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I have some opinions about that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded 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 offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth 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 challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {