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I possess some thoughts about the comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate 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 yet to done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {