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I have a few thoughts about that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past 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 last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful power on both forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been 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 drought of American men winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived 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 earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {