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I have a few opinions about the remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler following the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and powerful power on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {