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I have some thoughts regarding the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open last eight. Consider – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, he invoked the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the next round). Fritz stated in press following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and consistent victories

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and concussive power on each front side and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. Two years later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to prevail. Facing match points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not especially seem like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {