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I possess some thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting 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 title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 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). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator 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 drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {