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I possess a few thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches 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 is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the US Open 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 personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should 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 unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {