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I have a few thoughts about the remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {