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I possess a few opinions regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely unlikely for all other players. {