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I have a few opinions regarding that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are more than enough to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {