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I have a few thoughts regarding that remarks delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact liked his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {