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I possess a few opinions regarding the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment 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 final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. 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 in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat 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 US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

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

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately 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 use excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {