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I have a few thoughts about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy 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 really. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {