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I have some thoughts regarding that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, 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 lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {