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I possess a few opinions regarding that comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German 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 top-class delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to use excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest 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 an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {