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I have a few thoughts about the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of American men winning major titles 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 insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• 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 forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {