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I have some thoughts about the comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. 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 developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• 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,” the American told a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {