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I have some opinions about the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing 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 final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {