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I have some opinions about the remarks delivered by ESPN commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite serve and powerful strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is frequently overmatched. The last several years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has made a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. 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 the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a declining Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in the summer.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair looked evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not only say his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {