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I have a few thoughts about that comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {