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I possess a few thoughts about the remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining 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 grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {