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I have a few thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {