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I possess a few opinions regarding that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly improbable for all other players. {