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I have some thoughts regarding that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not just express how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {