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I have some opinions about that remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {