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I have a few opinions about that comments made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is well within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. 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: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say how he feels or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly improbable for everybody else. {