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I possess a few thoughts about the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce 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 load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {