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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments made by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He said 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 sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is often overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity 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 seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a horrendous service game to drop serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never especially seem like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, exceeding almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for everybody else. {