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I have some opinions regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much 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.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {