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I have a few thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive strength on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {