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I have some opinions regarding that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for 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 American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

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

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Facing match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was quite ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {