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I have a few opinions regarding that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

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

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling 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 subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {