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I have some opinions regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler 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 drought of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {