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I possess a few thoughts about the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {