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I have some opinions about that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players 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.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

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

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {