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I have a few thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful power on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, 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 mentioning the continuing 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 appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous 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 duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes 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 unlikely for all other players. {