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I possess a few thoughts about that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace 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 other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator 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 American men winning grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match two times on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {