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I have some opinions about that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. 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 climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded 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 declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler 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 slump of American men winning grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the task too little.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. 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 knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {