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I have some opinions about that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler following Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown would have been understandable. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But really. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a tired Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

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

The American, 28, is placed number four in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend far too much effort to prevail. Facing match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the tactic he felt determined a contest, but explain it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands 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. {