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I have some opinions about that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s 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 it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {