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I have some opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {