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I possess a few opinions about that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, 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 winning major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {