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I possess some opinions regarding the remarks made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press after the loss that he in fact preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best competitors in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on both front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz 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 opponent was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, improbable improvements 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 surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when he had departed 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 achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially seem like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {