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I have a few opinions regarding that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was dictating, and playing a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

The American star made a personal best run to the All England Club last four in July.

The American's play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {