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I have a few thoughts regarding the comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d somehow survived 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 split the previous seven major titles (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 liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and concussive power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and grace of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, improbable improvements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. Two years after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of American men winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning numerous chances to break. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the following match 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 physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {