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I possess some thoughts about that comments delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on each front side and backhand are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon 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 do it,” the American told an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {