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I have some thoughts about the remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star 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 defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning 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 he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {