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I have some thoughts about the comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued 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 final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful power on each front side and backhand are more than enough to defeat most opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service 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 excessive effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {