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I possess a few opinions regarding that remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few generational talents, though, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nevertheless move around with the alarming speed and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the challenge too little.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that very last eight match should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points 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 win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, willing to not just express how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

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

“I’d probably think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is actually highly unlikely for everybody else. {