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I possess some opinions regarding the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, 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 lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service 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 win it. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt 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 rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {