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I have some thoughts about the comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he 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 (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {