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I have a few opinions regarding the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, he invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five 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 soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {