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I have some opinions about that comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, 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 beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {