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I have a few opinions regarding that remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won 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 chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. 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 choke, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually highly improbable for all other players. {