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I possess a few opinions regarding that comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {