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I have a few thoughts regarding that remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, 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 Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest 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 appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by 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 athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning 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 reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {