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I have a few opinions about that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

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

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {