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I have a few thoughts about the remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. 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 rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. 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 against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of American men winning major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {