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I have a few opinions about the remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {