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I have some thoughts regarding that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Rather, Fowler invoked the continued drought of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually liked his draw, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. He is well within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 the German with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of generational talents, though, he is often overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a several significant, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star made a career-best advancement to the All England Club semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing set points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually anyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unjust. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {