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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive power on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged 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 having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {