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I have some opinions about that comments made by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on both front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous chances to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {