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I possess a few thoughts regarding the comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, 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 maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly improbable for all other players. {