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I possess a few thoughts regarding the comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain 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 evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {