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I possess a few opinions about that comments delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

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

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived 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 creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {