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I have some opinions about the remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, 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 mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for all other players. {