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I possess some opinions about the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and powerful power on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {