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I have a few opinions regarding the comments delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is often overmatched. The past few seasons has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins 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 hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim a single 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 lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how 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 indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {