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I have a few opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement 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 hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements 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 approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point 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 second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz 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 physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {