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I have some opinions regarding that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (and Alcaraz went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his potential.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points 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 saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

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 fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {