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I possess a few thoughts about the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded 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 aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler 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 US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

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

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain 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. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {