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I have some opinions about the comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the next round). He said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on both front side and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. 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 hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American 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 earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

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

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {