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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is often overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of American men winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not 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, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {