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I possess some opinions about the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods 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 exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {