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I have some opinions about the comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in press following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class delivery and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler 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 grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous 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 excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the final game, his first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

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

Swedish icon Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {