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I possess some thoughts regarding that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven grand slams (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). He stated in press following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, 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 drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited 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.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America failing to produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {