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I possess some thoughts about that remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest 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 drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {