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I possess some thoughts regarding that comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round 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 physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• 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 claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {