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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, he invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

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

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {