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I possess a few opinions about the comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might 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 decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {