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I have some opinions regarding the comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, whom he 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. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. He is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian 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 consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. 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. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {