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I have a few thoughts regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in press after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite serve and powerful strength on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion 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 would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {