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I possess a few opinions about that comments made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

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

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, 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 worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express his emotions or the tactic he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {