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I have some opinions about the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {