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I possess some thoughts about the remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best players in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {