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I have a few thoughts regarding the comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the continued absence of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six encounters over No 3 the German with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and powerful power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable 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 approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler 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 ongoing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

Fritz’s play in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the point of agony. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared 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 compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {