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I possess a few thoughts regarding the comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, he brought up the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

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

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice 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 contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {