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I have some opinions regarding the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify 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 rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {