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I have some opinions about the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for all other players. {