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I have some opinions about the comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought 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 fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements 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 sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having 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 Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {