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I have some opinions about the comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {