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I possess a few thoughts regarding that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {