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I possess a few thoughts about the remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {