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I have some opinions regarding that comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {