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I have some thoughts about the comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy 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 following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {