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I have some thoughts regarding that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, 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 to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {