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I have some opinions about the remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances 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 eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {