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I possess some opinions regarding that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace 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 win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. 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 immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {