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I have some opinions regarding that comments made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished 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 the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {