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I have some opinions regarding the remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. 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 once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {