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I have a few opinions about that remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful power on each front side and backhand are more than enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {