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I have a few opinions about that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

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

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {