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I have some thoughts regarding the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. 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 acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert a single 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 lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {