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I have some opinions regarding that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world starting this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, though, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {