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I have some thoughts regarding that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final 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, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five 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 other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {