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I have a few thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

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

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• 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 claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {