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I possess some thoughts regarding that remarks made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued absence 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 final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating 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 beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a career-best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told 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 breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {