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I have some opinions about the comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz 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 insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {