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I possess some opinions about the comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d 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 split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is often overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {