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I have some thoughts regarding the remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men 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 difficulty of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {