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I have some opinions about that remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {