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I have some thoughts about the remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful strength on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable 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 approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. 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.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {