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I have some opinions about that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {