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I have a few opinions regarding the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s 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 coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly 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 movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {