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I possess a few thoughts about the comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth 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 take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {