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I possess a few opinions about that comments made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

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

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently enough to dispose of most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of significant, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and did not particularly seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {