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I have some opinions regarding that comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

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

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler 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 ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments 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 exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof 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 especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {